


The Broken Flame

by KingHelios33



Series: Minecraft Stories [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Dark Past, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, This was based on a fancomic I was making a few year ago, so we got the whole package lads
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:27:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 56,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29559090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingHelios33/pseuds/KingHelios33
Summary: Queen Celina Rose-Coal is the queen of a small kingdom called Creatoria in the Creaturae server. She's got plenty of friends, a loving husband and a kingdom that loves her. She's heard every legend there is to know in Minecraftia, and there is only one she truly fears: Herobrine. Celina hoped that she would never have to meet this being face-to-face. But when Steve is attacked and left to die by Herobrine's hands, Celina rescues him and attracts the white eyed man to her home. She somehow manages to defeat him in combat, and in return, he must help her care for Steve. Along the way, Celina will change Herobrine and unlock his past in a way she could never have imagined. Join Celina and Herobrine on this journey full of friendship as they discover that even the darkest of people have the brightest of light inside them.
Relationships: Herobrine (Minecraft)/Original Character(s), Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Steve (Minecraft)/Original Character(s)
Series: Minecraft Stories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2171640
Kudos: 3





	1. Terrors in the Night

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone!  
> When I first started posting my works online, I started with a Minecraft comic and fanfic to go with it. The original drawings my comic spawned from were basically just Celina, my main Minecraft OC, making friends with Herobrine in some way. I've been working on this story for about seven years now. I've finally got all the details worked out, have Herobrine's backstory ready, and am ready to share it all with you! I hope you enjoy this story, it's my pride and joy.  
> Enjoy!

Darkness surrounded her on all sides, nothing but the magenta glow surrounding young Queen Celina and the glow of her sword lit the black. Her black hair was a mess, her gray eyes shining from her face. Her tanned skin was bruised and battered, covered in cuts and splotches of red from her wounds. Celina was clad in her usual mageta shirt with yellow ribbons, white gloves, a yellow belt, an indigo floor-length skirt, and pink mary-janes. Her golden crown with its heart shaped magenta gem had long since fallen off her head. 

All around her was the darkness that had clouded her vision. Her eyes narrowed in anger and her mouth curved down into deep sneer. She turned on her heels over and over. The queen was looking for the source of her wounds, the source of her pain. But the one she was looking for was more than that.

She was the source of the torment that her best friend had gone through. 

Celina growled and raised her sword above her head. “Show yourself!” she shouted into the black. “Face me like an Enderman!”

As if on command, a pair of purple eyes appeared, a purple glow surrounding them. Celina kept her defensive stance, knowing that this being could pull any kind of stunt or spell to try and take her out. She glared with deep contempt into those purple eyes.

Celina let her fall a bit so she held it out at her side. She then pointed to the Enderman in accusation. “You monster! You lied to him! You ruined his life! You’re gonna pay for what you did to my friend!” She huffed out in aggravation when those eyes did nothing but narrow at her without a word. The girl was about to yell again when two words were spoken. The voice came forward and she found her bravery crumbling away. 

**_“Kill her.”_ **

It was then that the eyes faded into the darkness, lost to the black. Celina found herself looking to where they once were with terror. She didn’t know who the Enderman was commanding to take her life, but that couldn’t have been good for her.

A dark and malevolent energy fell over the queen in an instant, and she found herself trembling in fear. It was a dark and strong energy, definitely not human. But, most of all?

It was familiar.

Celina turned on her heels, only to find two white eyes narrowing and watching her from the deep darkness, surrounded by an orange glow. The eyes looked to her with pure rage and she let out a sharp gasp. “Wait, no! Stop! She’s--she’s lying!” She held her free hand up and spoke again, begging for mercy. “Don’t--”

The queen’s words were stopped by an arm shooting out and a hand wrapping around her neck. Her oxygen instantly began to thin out and she tried to take in what she could. Celina was lifted a few inches off the ground, dropping her sword as she reached for the fingers slowly crushing her jugular. 

The human managed to open her now watering eyes to see her friend, her dearest friend, glaring at her with those eyes. Those eyes she had once seen hope and fear in were now staring her down with the most anger she had seen.

Celina winced and reached hand towards him. “Please,” she strained out, hoping to plead with him once more. “I--I thought… I was… your fri--friend.”

His voice came forth, silky and beautiful, but terrifying in this moment.  **_“Well, I suppose that was for naught, wasn’t it? Goodbye, Celina.”_ **

*****

“No… no… no, NO, NOOOOO!”

Celina’s eyes snapped open and she shot up from her spot on the bed, letting out a loud gasp. She panted as she moved a hand up to her chest, her heart beating so hard she was sure it was slamming into her ribcage. She took several moments to catch her breath, her eyes staring straight ahead but not actually seeing anything.

Celina put both hands to her neck and felt it, realizing the hand that had grabbed her was not there. Once she was able to focus and slow her breathing, she took a second to look around herself. 

The walls that surrounded her bed were made of gray stone bricks, with paintings and item frames decorating them and torches shining with their soft glow. Red and yellow stained glass windows showed her the kingdom outside the walls, the kingdom that she and her husband were rulers of. A colorful wool floor was below her, with bookshelves, chests, a table, and several flowers decorating the space surrounding her.

Celina looked for a moment more. “Oh… it was… it wasn’t--real?” She then put a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes. “Ugh… what in the Nether…”

Tough still frightened from the dream--no, nightmare--that she had just had, Celina was more confused and tired. She didn’t know the names of who either of those sets of eyes had belonged to. And she didn’t know why they both wanted her dead. It was strange though… because the white pair seemed so familiar…

Like an old friend.

Shaking her head, Celina looked to her right to see her husband sleeping soundly, his eyes closed and his expression soft. She then turned her head to the left, looking at the door to her room. The moon was high above from what she could see. The queen really shouldn’t be wasting her time to sleep, but she didn’t want to sleep after such a chilling dream. She sighed again. “Maybe I should go outside. Some fresh air might help.”

Swinging her legs to dangle over the side of the bed, Celina plopped to the floor and grabbed her mint colored robe and crown from a wooden black that served as her bedside table. She then put her slippers on and made her way towards the birch doors.

The coolness of the night rushed in and swept over Celina as she pushed one door open, seeing the moon bathing the land in an ashen glow. It was peaceful, and to her surprise, there were very few mobs out. Then again, the kingdom was well lit and rarely any monsters spawned within its bounds.

The queen made her way down the stairs from her and her husband’s room, down to the grand room and out the doors. She barely made a sound as she made her way down and out the doors. One could have mistaken her for a small animal moving around.

Celina walked out the doors and made sure to shut them behind her. She then walked down the steps, and made her way to the edge of the kingdom’s river. Her reflection stared back at her with half-lidded eyes, the gray in them seeming to sparkle with moonlight bouncing off the water. The queen sat down in her spot, putting hands on her knees as she sat cross-legged. 

Behind the girl, a tall being of iron and plants made her way to the corner of the castle. She had silvery skin, red eyes, pink cheeks, and bronze hair down to her chest. She wore a grey dress covered in vines, flowers in her hair, and high heels made of vines. A flower sat on her face in the place of a nose.

The iron golem heard a small noise as she walked closer to the corner of the stone structure, and when she peeked around the corner, she spotted a human shape sitting on the ground. She easily recognized her queen, her master, and she noticed her posture. She looked very conflicted about something. The lady golem frowned and furrowed her brows. Was Queen Celina okay? She had to be sure.

Celina’s thoughts still wandered to the dream, even though she tried to get them not to. She had seen those white eyes on only one person, one being of power and terror she had come face to face with once before. She knew who it was, though her mind kept saying it wasn’t. Her heart told her otherwise. But there were still things she was wondering.

If that was really who she thought it was in her dream, why did she call him, “friend?” What was he trying to kill her for? And who was the Enderman? She knew for a fact that they were an Ender, she could tell from just their eyes. But who were they?

All these questions stopped when a small tap was felt on her shoulder. She turned and looked up to see an iron golem looking down at her with concern. She stood up and looked into those red eyes. “Oh… hello, Irona. Did you just finish your patrol with the knights?”

Irona didn’t say a word in response to her question. But then again, it wasn’t like she could. She was mute, afterall. She could only make small clicking and metal moving noises with her mouth. Irona had been mute when Celina first found her a few years ago, but it didn’t surprise her since golems usually didn’t talk.

Irona tilted her head, asking without a word why her queen was up so late. She should be resting. Celina sighed again. “It’s… it’s nothing, Irona,” she answered with a dismissive wave.

Irona knitted her brows again, putting hands on her hips. She knew the girl all too well to know that she was lying. She gave Celina a slight glare, asking her again.

The queen pouted back at the golem, trying to match her narrowed eyes, but lost that fight as let out a small sigh. “Okay, okay. I… I had a nightmare. And…” Her voice trembled a bit in the next sentence. “I think it was about…  _ Him.” _

Irona’s expression fell to terror and her eyes went wide. She let out a tiny gasp. She knew who Celina was talking about. Everyone who had been in Minecraftia long enough knew who  _ He _ was. He was a legend that had terrified the land for thousands of years. And everyone with a brain knew he was to be feared.

Irona’s reaction struck a chord in Celina, as her body began to shake the more she thought about it. “I know, Irona. The thing about this dream though… it felt so real. It was like some kind of… of a sign. I just… I don’t know how to feel about it. I came out here to try and get my mind off it. But… I can’t help but think that maybe--maybe it was a sign…”

The human girl’s voice trailed off in that last sentence. Irona’s heart clenched. She could tell her ruler was conflicted about this. She thought for a moment, before pulling something from her inventory.

Celina watched the iron being, blinking in surprise when she pulled a few cookies from her inventory. She hesitated when the cookies were held out to her, then realized what the treats being held out to her were for. She took them and chuckled. “Thank you, Irona.”

Irona smiled and ruffled the human’s hair.

As the two sat outside, letting the cool night envelope them, a few words echoed from Celina, out across the plains and into the wind.

“I mean… it was just a dream, right?”


	2. The Queen and the Miner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I hope you're all doing well.  
> I have to next chapter of this story that is my pride and joy, and I had so much fun writing this chapter! I've improved a lot from the first version of this chapter I did years ago, and I love how it came out.  
> I actually have more chapters of this story done on Toyhouse, and I'm gonna upload one chapter every day until I'm caught up here.  
> So here's the next one!  
> Enjoy!

The sun began to rise over the horizon the next morning, the skies clear and painted in soft pastel colors. A few passive mobs had spawned in and began to walk around in the forests surrounding Celina’s home and kingdom. Pigs and sheep ate at the grass and a few chickens walked around as well. A soft breeze blew past the tree leaves and flowers, making them sway and tremble the tiniest bit. 

Celina pushed open the doors to the grand room of her castle, clad in her magenta shirt with purple shoulder puffs, yellow ribbons, and a diamond on the front, yellow belt, violet skirt, pink mary-janes, white gloves, and golden crown with its magenta gem. Her diamond sword, Old Faithful, hung from her belt as she moved her gaze over the kingdom. 

It was still pretty early with the sun still coming up over the horizon, but a few of the citizens of Creatoria were up and out of their homes. They waved to the queen as she saw them, and she waved back.

Celina smiled and took a deep breath of the fresh air. “Looks like another beautiful day,” she spoke as she moved her eyes to the sky in its pastel shades. She began to step forward as she said, “Well, let’s get--”

And that was when her foot bumped into something. Celina’s face turned to confusion and she moved her gray gaze down to the stone steps of her castle. A Redstone torch had been placed on the steps. With a brow raised, she leaned down and picked up the torch. “Huh? A Redstone torch,” she thought aloud. She turned the torch over a couple of times, examining it closely. Nothing was different about this torch. 

“Where did this come from,” the queen mused. “I don’t remember this being here last night.” This was indeed odd, as she had never been one to dabble in Redstone. A few of her citizens did, but they wouldn’t just leave a random torch on her steps. “Where did this…” Celina’s voice trailed off as a thought struck her.

_ He  _ often left Redstone torches behind in random places. Often, these meant that it wouldn’t be the only time he would visit that area.

Celina’s blood suddenly ran cold and everything seemed to freeze. She stiffened and her eyes went wide. There was that dream she had. The one with a set of white eyes and a deep, silky, yet dark echoing voice. It had to be more than a coincidence that both of these things had happened at the queen’s castle.

She was so stuck in her trance of fear, Celina didn’t even notice when a hand landed on her shoulder. And when it did, her whole body twitched in surprise.

Celina quickly drew her sword and turned on her heels, shutting her eyes and wildly swinging her blade around. “AHHHBLABLABLANANANA!” she shouted, complete nonsense but just panicked noises.

“Whoa, whoa! Celina, calm down, it’s me!”

Celina opened her eyes and stopped her flailing. She looked up and blinked when she saw not  _ Him _ , but a different person. They were very masuline looking. They had short brown hair, violet eyes, fair skin, and freckles dotting their cheeks. They wore a cyan long-sleeve with a brown belt on their chest, a brown belt on their waist, blue jeans, and gray boots. An iron pickaxe was hanging from their back.

The person had their hands held up and wide eyes. Celina let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, Steve, it’s just you. Sorry about that, man.” Steve was a young miner, only a few years older than the eighteen year old queen. The two had met a few years ago and he lived in a small village only a mile to the south, in a nearby forest. He was one of her best friends and someone she considered very close to her.

Holstering her sword back into her belt, Celina looked to the miner, her gray eyes meeting his violet eyes. “I didn’t mean to almost hit you like that. Sorry,” she apologized.

Steve let his surprise fall and a smile curve onto his face. He put a hand on one hip. “Apology accepted, kiddo.” He chuckled. The miner knew that Celina had a natural warrior’s instinct, and her family was a long line of fighters. He didn’t mean to scare her, but then again, his steps were very quiet. She had also seemed to be in some kind of trance when he found her.

Speaking of which…

Steve’s expression shifted and his head tilted. “Are you okay, Celina? You seemed really zoned out when I walked up to you. Something wrong?”

Celina tensed greatly as those words were spoken. She was still thinking about that dream she had and the torch on her doorstep. She wanted so badly to tell someone, anyone, and her husband had left for royal duties this morning. The queen let out a tiny sigh. She might as well tell the miner. He was like a brother to her, afterall.

Celina shifted on her feet and looked into his violet eyes. “I… I had a bad dream last night. A really bad nightmare.”

Steve furrowed his brows. That was definitely out of the ordinary for her. “What about?”

“About… about…  _ Him. _ ”

Steve let a sharp gasp escape his lips. He knew all too well who she was talking about.  _ He  _ had haunted the miner for most of his life and was constantly trying to kill him or terrify him. Everyone knew his legend and many had died by his hands. And yet, the young man had survived many small attacks by  _ Him. _

Steve took a small step back. “Wait.. him? As--as in… Iraura’s brother… him?”

Celina nodded and she blinked, feeling tears beginning to form in her eyes. She hadn’t meant to frighten her friend, but she knew she had to tell him the truth. “Yes. Yes, Steve. I had a dream that someone… an Ender… commanded him to kill me. And just a few minutes ago, I found this on my doorstep.” She held out the torch to the miner as she let a few tears roll down her face.

Steve took the Redstone device into his hands and examined it with caution. It didn’t look any different from any other one, but hearing the fright in Celina’s voice was hard. It showed how this dream truly terrified her. This had to be more than a coincidence.

Celina let out a tiny whimper and Steve looked up at her, a frown on concern on his features. “Are you okay, kiddo?”

She shook her head. “No,” she answered with a strained voice. “Steve, I… I don’t--don’t…” She hesitated, not wanting to cry in front of her friend. She knew how out of her chipper demeanor that was. And she didn’t want to worry him.

Steve saw this as she bit her lip and he held out his arms to her. She quickly took it and embraced him tightly. Steve held her close and let the girl sniffle into his shirt as she spoke.

“Steve… I’m scared. I’ve only ever--seen him--once. Only once. But… I’m so scared he’s--he’s gonna… gonna come after me. I didn’t do anything wrong. I just… I don’t know if that--that dream was a sign or something… I’m so scared…”

The miner’s heart broke at her words. Celina was like a younger sister to him and he hated to see her unhappy or scared. And her fear was completely understandable from his viewpoint. He knew that fear of an attack or visit from  _ Him  _ all too well.

The queen had begun to sob and cough from her crying and she tried to talk. But her words were ragged and barely audible. Steve moved a hand to gently pet Celina’s hair and he held her in a loving embrace, the kind he only gave those who meant the most to him. “Celina, it’s okay. You need to try and calm a bit, you’re going to make yourself sick.”

Celina nodded and did her best, eventually her sobs turning into soft sniffles and tiny whimpers. She sooned turned her head to the side as she held onto Steve, her head lying against his chest. She was grateful to have a brother figure like him in her life. She was grateful for everything Steve did for her.

Steve spoke and made her lightly flinch from the broken silence. “Have you talked to Cenlar about this?”

The queen shook her head. “He woke me up very early this morning to say he was going to be away for a few months on royal business. I woke up, told him bye, and went back to sleep until the sun rose. I didn’t even think to tell him while I was awake because I didn’t want to stall him.”

Steve nodded in understanding. “Stephanie’s gonna be away for a while, too. She left a couple days ago to go take care of her mom for a while.”

“Really?”

“Yep… looks like it’s just you and me for a while, kiddo.” He pet her hair as she looked up at him, her gray eyes still very teary. “Look, Celina, I’ve been face-to-face with him before. I know it’s a scary prospect, to see him or have him visit you, but you know what? I know you’re from a strong line of warriors. I feel that, if he ever did try to fight you, you’d win. He’s strong, but you’re stronger. I’ve seen what you can do. You’re a fighter, and I know you’ll keep fighting until you’ve defeated him. What did my mom always say?”

Celina blinked, before quoting, “‘Fight a good fight… until the very end.’” It was the old saying that Steve’s mother used to tell him in the toughest of times. And he had told it to her and she followed it to the letter, just as he did.

The miner nodded. “That’s right. You’ve always done that, and if you ever have to come face-to-face with him, I know you’ll be at your strongest. You have nothing to be afraid of, Celina. Trust me: you’ll win.”

The queen felt herself smile and a few happy tears fell down her cheeks. She hugged Steve again and held him tightly. “Thank you, Steve,” she whispered. “You always know how to make me feel better. Thank you, my friend.”

He chuckled and patted her back. “It’s no problem, kiddo.” He watched her pull away and look up at him with the biggest grin. “Say, what were you heading out for before I showed up?”

“I was gonna go mining,” she answered. “I was actually gonna invite you to go with me. You up for it?”

He let out a laugh. “You know I’m always up for mining!” He smirked and suddenly turned in the direction of the path to the Creatoria mines. Steve took off in a sprint, shouting back to her, “First one there gets all the diamonds!”

Celina blinked, before a determined smile crossed her face and she ran after the miner, “Oh, no, you don’t, Stevie! Those diamonds are mine!” She shouted. She caught up with the man and he grinned.

“We’ll see about that!” he replied. The two laughed loudly as they ran past several citizens and to the mines. When they had reached the entrance to the underground tunnels, they high-fived and said in unison, “Mining time!” They then descended down, pickaxes pulled from their inventories, ready for anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the relationship Steve and Celina have, they're like siblings and it gives me life!!!  
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I had too much fun writing it!  
> Next chapter, we'll get to meet a certain being who's a big part of this story!  
> Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave comments!


	3. The Nether Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter, where we get a little look into the life of a certain white-eyed being...  
> Enjoy!

Deep within Minecraftia lies a realm of despair and pain, a place of hottest hell and creatures of those kinds that were feared. Within the Nether of Minecraftia, Piglins and the large Hoglins wandered around. They carried weapons of gold in their hands and were hostile to anything that was not of their kind. They were viscous, taking out anything in their paths.

Ghasts blasted at anything they perceived as a threat and Magma Cubes bounced around, crushing those who were unfortunate enough to get below their paths. Striders walked aimlessly while Wither Skeletons and Blazes guarded the secrets of their Nether Fortresses. Endermen occasionally appeared within the blue flamed Warped Forests of the Nether. The realm was dark, deadly, and no place for a human to make their home or wander for a while.

However, there was one being who called this place his ruling realm. One Demi-God who was to be feared throughout the realms.

Some called him a ghost. Some called him a glitch in the servers. Others called him the dead brother of the once queen of Minecraftia’s gods, Iraura. She was known to have fallen from grace after _He_ first appeared in Minecraftia’s Overworld. And for millennia, the world has been terrorized by this being.

Those who have seen him or heard him know what his presence is like. A dark, malevolent energy seems to follow him wherever he travels, and it’s one of the main signs he’s nearby. The being often shears trees’ leaves or sets them aflame, digs perfectly square tunnels, leaves Redstone torches in various places, and his white eyes could be seen from blocks away. 

Everyone knew how he had been described. A man who often floated on Nether Portal colored clouds with two red swords, one in each hand. The swords seemed to glow with some strange light, like Redstone in the mines.

Many had witnessed his attacks. He showed no mercy to his victims, slicing them open, throwing them around, using fire against them; all of it with no remorse. His white eyes were cold, emotionless, conveying nothing but bloodlust. And nothing seemed to satiate that. He killed countless people, sent the monsters of the world after humans, and he would haunt those he deemed more worthy of his wrath. But those less fortunate to catch his eye, he would slaughter them with no hesitation.

He went by many names. He went by Him, the Ghost, the Glitch, Iraura’s Dead Brother, the Fallen Demi-God; all of these names were addressing this being.

But his true name? The one that stuck fear into everyone in the Overworld?

**_Herobrine._ **

And on this day, the being would strike again.

Within the deepest depths of the Nether, a castle stood of dark bricks and red and black banners, bearing a symbol resembling a flame. The windows were of black and red stained glass while bridges and iron bars decorated the castle’s walls. It all sat above a lava ocean within one of the Crimson Forests. Red particles floated from the mushrooms and trees and circled around the large structure.

Inside, mobs wandered about, mostly those of the Nether, some of the Overworld, and a few Endermen who teleported around these other monsters. They all wandered before the throne of their king, their ruler, the one who ordered their attacks on the humans of the Overworld. It was a tall, ornate chair of various Nether bricks, surrounded by flames and redstone.

However, the King of the Mobs and Prince of the Nether was not seated in his throne. Oh, no, he was resting in the very highest room of the castle, his chamber, his resting place. There he was in the middle of the darkened room. Herobrine floated a few inches off the ground, with his arms out at his sides and eyes closed. His head was tilted forward the tiniest bit. Redstone torches formed a circle around him, and a white, wispy mist floated around him in his state of rest. The mist circled him as he floated, still as stone, save for his breathing.

The iron doors to the being’s room slowly creaked open, with a Blaze poking his head inside to see his master in his sleeping state. The Blaze then shut the door and looked behind him. A Wither Skeleton and a small Magma Cube stood there. The Wither Skeleton suddenly asked, “Is he awake, Barry?”

The Blaze shook his head, the rods of his form gentling circling him. He spoke, smoke spilling from his lips. “No, but it is sunset in the Overworld. He may dish his wrath out upon us if we do not wake him. This is when he goes out to hunt the mortals of the world.” He turned to look through the tiny windows of the iron doors, not seeing any movement from Herobrine. He knew that their ruler needed to be awoken, he just didn’t plan on being the one with that duty today.

Barry sighed and found himself shaking his head. He had a job to do, whether or not it would get him killed remained to be seen. He looked back at his companions again. “I’m going to wake him. Wanda, Carrie, stay here. If he unleashes an attack on me, I don’t want you in the crossfire.”

The two nodded and Barry pushed open the door, making his way inside. He slowly floated to the King of Mobs, stopping within three blocks of him. The ancient man’s powerful influence made it heard to stay within that radius, but he knew he had to endure it to wake him. He gently reached with a Blaze Rod to the man, and gently poked his chest. “Master Herobrine,” he uttered ever so quietly.

At first, nothing happened.

Then, white eyes snapped open to the room around him.

Herobrine’s arms fell to his sides as the mist disappeared and he dropped to the ground, his stance like that of a general of an army. His shoulders were squared and back straight. His glare was unwavering as he came face-to-face with the mob that had awoken him from his rest. He let a deep frown fall on his face.

Barry tried not to fret under the powerful man’s gaze, but he couldn’t help but stutter as he spoke. “He--Hello, M--Master Herobrine! I… I’m sorry to… to awaken you from your slumber. But--but the sun has nearly… nearly set in the--the Overworld. I hope--”

The Blaze was cut off by a fist flying into his face, knocking him back and selling him hurtling several blocks away and to the ground. The mob tried to pick himself up in his sudden dazed state, but a hand reached down and grabbed the top of his head, hauling him up to eye level with Herobrine.

The being sneered and, in a dark voice, whispered, “Barry, what have I told you about speaking to me?”

The dark whisper sounded like the Nether’s fury and all things he should have feared wrapped into one voice. Barry squinted his eyes in fright, speaking quickly so as not to make his master wait and give him more reason to possibly kill him. “Never to… stutter when speaking to you?”

“Exactly,” came Herobrine’s voice. It was dark, intrepid, silky, but sinister all the same. And it echoed as he talked, like two beings speaking at the same time. He also had a very detectable accent, one that he called, “Dutch,” when asked. It was the accent of many of the higher beings in Minecraftia’s paradise, but no one knew why Herobrine shared this accent. He refused to answer that question.

Herobrine kept his grasp on the mob as those black eyes looked into his with terror. “Calm yourself, mob! You know showing such fear only angers me more.” He let the mob go and Barry backed away a few blocks, trying to keep out of the deadly man’s reach. “You know that, under my rule, you shall not show such fear in my presence. You cannot do that. What would humans think of you if they could see this fear? You’d be nothing but a few Blaze rods within a moment’s notice. You must show no fear, no mercy. Do I make myself clear?”

The Blaze bowed his head. “Yes, my king. I apologize for my stuttering.”

Herobrine made a small, “tch,” before walking past the mob and pushing the doors to his chamber open.

Wanda bowed before her ruler, Carrie only closing her eyes. “Good evening, Master Herobrine.”

The being kept his brows furrowed. “Girls, take Barry to the training chamber. He obviously needs to get rid of his fears before he can be allowed outside in the fortresses.”

The Wither Skeleton nodded. “At once, my Lord.”

The being began his walk again, making his way to a spiral staircase and moving down the steps. He then began to walk between halls and stairs, spotting several different mobs in his stroll. Blazes and Zombified Piglins whispered amongst each other as Endermen and Zombies moved from his path. Herobrine paid no mind to their chatter. He knew what they were saying, his acute sense of hearing allowed that. He knew they always talked about the same thing:

How much he was to be feared and obeyed.

As he finally made his way into the throne room, the Nether Prince saw all eyes turn to him. The mobs stopped everything and turned to face their ruler. Herobrine kept his frown and dark glare. The mobs all moved to one knee or bowed their heads. “Good evening, Master Herobrine,” came their voices in unison, all in the tongue of the monsters.

The Demi-God let a grin cross his face, the kind when he was satisfied or happy to see or hear something. Oh, this was going to be a good night.

“Good evening, my subjects,” Herobrine announced, his voice echoing in the large chamber. “I see you are all prepared for my orders.” He turned his gaze to a particular Enderman in the corner, one slightly smaller than the other Endermen, and with green eyes. “Eric, are all mobs accounted for?”

The Ender nodded. “Yes, my Lord. All mobs here have been accounted for.” 

“Good.” He began to gesture to the mobs in groups, giving his commands like a monarch commanding his army. “Creepers, Zombies, Skeletons, Spiders, and Phantoms! Head into the Overworld once the sun has set. Be on the lookout for any humans up late or out of their homes. Let them feel your wrath if they try to stop you from destroying them.”

He then moved his gaze to the Nether mobs. “Blazes, Wither Skeletons, Piglins, Ghasts, and Magma Cubes! Split among your ranks and scour the Nether Fortresses and Crimson Forests. If you see any humans, let them feel the might of the Nether.”

He then looked up to the tallest of the mobs, the Enders. “Enders, make your way into the Warped Forests and split among yourselves in the Overworld. The End is closely guarded by your kind there, so no need to worry about it. Remember, if a mortal dares to even look in your direction, tear them apart!” 

The being gestured to himself, a hand on his chest. “I have some business in the Overworld to attend to. A certain miner is going to get what he deserves this night.” He saw all of the mobs bow and ready to work. “Now, move out! It is time for the mortals of the Overworld to live in fear of us for another night!”

All the mobs nodded and stood, spreading out and making their ways to their respective posts. Herobrine watched them all for a moment, before making his way across the room. He headed for a small chamber where his personal Nether Portal resided.

As the Demi-God walked across the floor, Eric and another Enderman, Aaron, watched him, green and purple eyes focused on the being. When he was out of earshot, or so they hoped, Eric spoke. “Pffft, what a coward.”

Aaron raised his brows and turned to look at his companion. “Whatever do you mean, Eric?”

“If he was really our ruler, he would stay in his throne to show his ‘superiority’ and iron fist to us. He wouldn’t go wander off the play with mortals if he was a true king.”

Aaron’s eyes went wide and he looked at the slightly shorter Enderman. “Eric, watch what you say. You know how good his hearing is. Besides, he’s only showing his strength and powers to us. Is that not enough to show you he should be the one to call our lord?”

Eric waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t care how ‘good’ everyone says his hearing is, he can’t touch me.” He then put both hands on his hips. “And so what if he has all these powers? If you ask me, I feel that he’s simply hiding from his duties as King of the Mobs. I think… Herobrine is  _ afraid.” _

That sentence earned several sharp gasps and stares from the other mobs, and they knew that Eric had made a mistake.

And that mistake would be fatal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh! Looks like Eric said something forbidden!  
> "It was at that moment, Eric realized he fucked up."  
> I hope you guys are enjoying this story so far! Working on it again after all these years makes me so happy!


	4. Powers in Sunset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like this next chapter! I had fun with it!

Herobrine stood before his Nether Portal, watching the swirling mists of purple and black within its obsidian frame. He really didn’t need this portal, he could teleport between the Overworld, End, and Nether at will. However, he felt it made for a more proper entrance for one of his power. He grinned widely as he readied to step into the portal. The being had waited for this night for many years, and now, the time was perfect to take the life he had been waiting to take for years now.

He placed a foot on the obsidian…

“I think… Herobrine is  _ afraid.” _

Those words reached his ears in an instant and that was when a fireball formed in the being’s hand. He swiftly vanished from his place in a cloud of purple dust.

Aaron clasped his hands together and looked around in a panic, seeing all the mobs who were now staring at his fellow Enderman. “Eric, don’t  _ say that _ . You know exactly what kind of punishment that way of thinking will--”

“I don’t  _ care,  _ Aaron!” shouted the shorter Endeman. “He’s a coward, and I won’t stand for having to follow his orders any longer! One day, he will be dethroned, and when that days comes, someone who truly rules will--”

A hand suddenly clasped onto the Enderman’s neck, causing him to choke as his air was being cut off. He was pulled back and felt heat nipping at his back as it happened. 

“Will do what, Eric?”

Eric managed to look over his shoulder to see Herobrine floating at his level, a fireball seeming to engulf one of his hands though the flames did not burn him. He knew the being had fire powers, making him invulnerable to all flames. And he now knew, he was in deep trouble.

“Oh, he--hello, my--my lord! I was just--just--”

Herobrine growled and let the mob go for only a second, then turned him by the shoulder and grabbed onto his neck once again. The Nether Prince held tightly and floated just a few inches higher, effortlessly lifting the mob with him and making Eric kick his legs out in an attempt to get free. He scoffed and held that fireball just a little bit closer to the mob, making him stop his flailing. 

Herobrine’s face fell into one of deep contempt as the mob looked into his white eyes, the green ones of the monster full of fear. “So,” the King of the Mobs began. “Tell me, Eric. What do you think fear is?”

“Oh,” Eric strained out with the hand still on his jugular. “Fear is when… when you… when…” His thought process went blank. Perhaps he didn’t know what fear really was? Or at least, he wouldn’t be able to give an answer to satisfy the literal embodiment of fear in Minecraftia.

Herobrine was growing impatient as he watched the Enderman quiver in fear. “You don’t have an answer, do you?”

The Ender only took deep breaths, as much as he could with a hand clenching tightly onto his windpipe.

Herobrine growled darkly again. “You think you know what fear is, don’t you, Ender? You believe that fear is some strange feeling that only happens when something dangerous approaches you. But that? That is not the true meaning of terror.” He raised his fireball higher as he left the mob drop to the ground, the Enderman stumbling and falling onto his back. He tried to sit up, only to have a sword pointed at his neck. No one had even seen Herobrine pull out one of his crimson colored blades, but there it was, ready to slice the Enderman open. Herobrine kept his sword tip there as he kept the fireball close to himself. “You do not know what true fear is, Ender. You do not know the true feeling of horror that I bring to this world. You do not know the kind of terror that pierces your heart and keeps you awake through the night. You don’t know fear that makes you cower for the rest of your life and live in terror that you aren’t safe anywhere.”

He pushed the tip of his sword into the chest of the monster, drawing a small drop of green blood from a vein. He saw Eric wince, but he pays it no mind. “You’re a fool, Ender. You do not know fear. I  _ am _ fear! And you will feel my wrath for doubting my powers!”

Before another word could be uttered, the Demi-God sliced open the Enderman’s chest, letting green blood spray across the floor as he did it. He watched the Enderman squirm and lightly writhe on the ground. It was only a few moments before the mob’s eyes rolled back and he fell lifeless to the ground. What was once Eric lay in a puddle of dark green fluid at Herobrine’s feet as he dropped to the ground. He held up his hand and his sword turned into tiny particles that faded as they floated away. 

Herobrine turned to look at a few of the mobs who had watched the commotion. “Clean up this mess. I have business to attend to. I want this gone when I return.”

The mobs nodded and the Demi-God made his way back to the portal room. He stepped into the frame and vanished, being taken into the Overworld.

*****

The skies were painted in bright shades of yellow, orange, red, and purple. The sun was beginning to set under the horizon in the Creatoria kingdom, and many of the guards had already begun their nightly patrol of the streets in case of mobs. The citizens of the small kingdom were already in their homes, either enjoying dinner or working on a few last things before night time. There wasn’t a curfew in the kingdom, mind you, but everyone knew that night was a bad time to be out unless you knew how to fight off a hoard of zombies.

Loud laughter came from the mines as the doors to the underground tunnels burst open. Steve and Celina stepped out, covered from head to toe in gravel and dirt from their trip. Celina lightly poked Steve in the chest with a gloved finger, saying to him, “C’mon, Steve, there’s no way you found ten diamonds legit!”

Steve chuckled and responded with, “Yes way! I found all of those diamonds with nothing but pure skill!”

“Yeah right! I call hacks!” Celina put hands on her hips and smirked in his direction.

Steve held up his hands as if to show he had nothing in them. “Ain’t any hacks, kiddo. Just pure skills and know-how gained from years of mining.”

Celina giggled and walked next to the miner as they made their way through the streets. The glowstone was beginning to light their path as the sun’s light began to fade from the skies. The queen felt herself let out a little sigh as she and the miner walked. “Man, Steve,” she spoke, not realizing she was thinking out loud. “You’re great at mining. I wish I was as good as you… my family was all warriors, so I wouldn’t know a diorite from an andesite block. I’d be lost in my mining without you or Cenlar.”

Steve could hear the dejection in her voice and saw how she looked down, hands in her pockets. He knew Celina wasn’t the best at mining, he had seen the simple mistakes she had made, ones that were rookie moves. However, the man also knew she was just trying her best, like she always did.

“Celina,” Steve started, a hand moving to the queen’s shoulder. She looked up at him, those violet eyes of his seeming to sparkle with happiness. “Just because you’re from a warrior family doesn’t mean you aren’t good at mining. I’ve seen how you try, I’ve seen all the things you’ve found. You’re doing your best and that’s what matters. Besides, I think that, some day, you’ll be up in the books as one of the best queens who knows how to fight in Minecraftia!”

Celina blinked in surprise, before blushing and smiling widely. Steve was such a sweetheart and always knew what to say to make her feel better. She truly was grateful for someone like him to be in her life. What did she ever do to deserve such a wonderful figurative brother.

Steve suddenly grinned mischievously and put a hand to his chin. “Maybe your chapter will be next to my chapter.”

Celina burst into laughter and playfully pushed a hand into his chest. “Steve, you’re such a butt!” 

The two continued their walk towards the castle, happy laughter coming from their lips, unaware of the figure hidden in the shadows of the trees.

*****

Herobrine slowly peeked from behind the trees as the two walked. He silently moved as they did, quickly following their movements until he stood behind a tree just nearby to the castle of the queen. He stayed behind the oak until he heard their laughter again. The Nether Prince watched the two as the young girl reached up to Steven’s face with a cloth. She smiled widely, while the miner grinned and laughed, saying the girl was trying to clean him up and treat him as if she were his mother.

Herobrine moved back behind the tree.  _ “Hmm… Steven is with the mortal girl. Getting to her may take more time than I thought it would.” _

Herobrine thought about the miner for a moment. Steven Alfonce Mindrall. He was a man no more than 30 years old and had a girl he was engaged to and had lived with for some time. Stephanie was her name. 

Herobrine knew pretty much everything there was to know about this man that he needed to. He knew of his waking habits, where he would mine, where he liked to go and explore and take walks in. He had haunted the miner for years now, ever since he had been a child had the Demi-God haunted him. 

Herobrine would often chase him during the night, give him nightmares, and just terrify him in general. He still remembered the first time he had made Steven awake from crying and shouting so much in his sleep. The miner was in tears and had sought comfort in his at the time girlfriend. The miner had nearly cried himself to sleep in her arms, and how the Nether Prince had relished that feeling of his terror.

As the man got older, he would have face-to-face confrontations with the man and had left him with more than a few wounds. He knew the miner was deathly afraid of him and everything he did.

Maybe he could use that to his advantage?

An idea struck Herobrine.  _ “Hmm… maybe I can take care of Steven first. He’s always been so weak to my attacks. Taking him out won’t be hard. And then… maybe I can lure the girl into a trap with him… Yes, that will do nicely.” _

Herobrine peeked around the tree again, a hand on the bark. He saw that the queen had cleaned herself and Steven up and was now trading ores with him. He let a dark chuckle escape his lips. He teleported from his spot behind the tree to the top of a tall birch on a nearby hill. He crouched on the top of the tree, watching the mortals with great intent. “Well,” he spoke to no one but himself. “Looks like I can hit two chickens with one arrow. This is going to be too easy… Look out, Steven. I’m coming for you tonight.”

*****

“And here’s some extra gold and Lapis for you, kiddo,” Steve said as he handed said ores to Celina.

“Thank you, Stevie!” She put them into her inventory and looked up to her figurative brother as he smiled at her. “Well, it’s getting dark. I should probably head inside. Thanks for the nice day today, Steve. I had lots of fun.”

He chuckled. “Anytime, kiddo! Just let me know and I’ll come mine with you.” Before Celina could walk away, he held up a hand. “Oh, I almost forgot!” He reached into his inventory and made Celina quirk a brow. He pulled out a red heart shaped gem with many facets, holding it out to the queen. “I made this for you whenever I stayed up at our little post to smelt the ores and you went to mine. It’s a Redstone crystal gem! I learned how to make them from someone in our village who’s really good with Redstone.”

Celina took the gem into her hands, being cautious in case it could break. She looked at it, starstruck by its beauty and her friend’s thoughtfulness. She gazed down at it and she turned it in her hands. “Oh, Steve… this is… it’s beautiful!” She smiled and a small tear formed in one of her eyes. “Thank you so much, I’ll cherish this forever!”

Steve smiled and nodded. “It’s no problem.” He looked over in the direction of the setting sun. “Well, I’d better get going. If I head through the forest, I should make it to my house before night falls completely.” He waved to Celina. “See ya later, Celina!”

As he began to walk away, Celina waved and bounced up and down. “Bye, Steve! Thanks again!” She then ran into her castle with excitement in her step.

Steve, on the other hand, was making his way into the southern forests, completely unaware of the white eyes watching him from a distance, a devilish grin under them to match their intense glow.

Steve would never know what hit him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh! Looks like someone's coming for Steve, and he doesn't have good intentions!  
> What's gonna happen to poor Steve?  
> Thank you all who have viewed this story! I love this story so much and have so much planned for it!  
> Stick around for more soon!


	5. Misfortune in the Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter, everyone!  
> Looks like Steve is going to meet a certain Demi-God tonight...  
> I hope you enjoy!

The darkness of the night engulfed a large forest to the south of Celina’s kingdom, a small fog seeming drifting between the large oaks and birches. There were no mobs this night in the forest, the only sound in the woods being the footsteps of a young miner walking in the grass. There was no light to penetrate this darkness, one could barely even see in front of them in the forest.

Steve let out a huff as he continued his walk, squinting his eyes in the darkness. He had no indicator of where he was in the large forest and there was no road leading him back to his home. The miner stopped his walk, frowning deeply. “Jeb damn it!” he said aloud. “I shouldn’t have used all my torches in the mines. Now, I can’t see anything, I’m completely lost, and I don’t even have a compass. I should’ve brought more torches!” 

The man scratched his head as he thought hard about what to do. He had gotten very turned around in the large forest and he wasn’t even sure where he was in relation to his village or the castle. There was no way he was going to be able to find his way back in the dark. Steve was either going to have to make shelter until the day, which could be dangerous, or just keep going.

Celina had offered him more torches and even a compass to use on his way home, but the miner had denied it, saying he would be fine. She had even offered to walk him home, but again, he denied the offer in favor of saying he’d be fine.

Now, look what that had gotten him. He was lost and had no indicator of where he was going. He was going to have to stop here until the sun came up or something.

Steve didn’t even notice the figure that was now standing at a tree not too far behind him.

Suddenly, something rushed past the miner with inhuman speed, nearly knocking him over in its wake. The miner quickly turned on his heels. “What in the Nether?!”

There was nothing there. Not a single sound from another living this was made.

Steve raised a brow. That was… definitely not normal. There was nothing that could run that fast that he knew of. Not any human nor any mob of any realm.

Unless…

His train of thought was interrupted again by the entity running rushing past him again, this time so fast he could feel a small gust of wind from it. The miner turned again to see what it was that had run by him, but he didn’t see any other forms. Only a long tear in the ground running in front of him. “What the hell…” Steve whispered. That looked like someone had dragged one of their tools through the dirt in front of him.

“ _ Sttteeeeeeeevvvvveeeeeennnnn…” _

A dark and echoing voice suddenly called his name and the young man froze in his spot. A chill moved up his spine and his blood ran cold. His violet eyes widened.

Someone was here in the forest with him.

Pulling his sword from his inventory, Steve held the diamond blade tightly as he looked around. He could barely see anything, only the tall forms of the trees against the light colored fog that seemed to glow the tiniest bit. He didn’t see any forms or human shapes. The miner’s voice audibly quivered as he spoke. “Who… who’s there? Sh--show yourself.”

“ _ Steeeeevvvvveeeeeennn? What’s wrong, Steven?” _

That voice echoed through the forest again and made the fine hairs on the back of Steve’s neck stand on end. His whole body shook as he tried to keep his blade close should this thing or person try to attack him. That voice was definitely not friendly. It was dark, intrepid, silky, but devious all the same. The worst part of it though?

It was familiar.

Steve jumped at the sudden sound of something scratching through the bark of a nearby tree. It sounded like claws tearing into the wood. He turned to look for the source, but there was nothing there.

Steve kept turning on his heels as noises came from all around him. Footsteps, whispers, scratching; all these sounds had him spinning to see where they were coming from but he couldn’t see anything. 

Steve tried to keep himself from whimpering as he held up his sword. His heart was pounding in his chest, his mind racing with possibilities, and sweat formed on his face. He didn’t know who was there but he knew someone was after him. And he didn’t plan to find out what it was. The miner wanted so badly to turn and run away, to see if he could find his way home. But his whole body was frozen in fear. He could barely control his rapid breaths at this point. Steve didn’t want to stay here, but he couldn’t will his legs to move. His fight, flight, or freeze response had kicked in and he was stuck in his place.

A loud cracking noise made Steve jump in fright. He listened as the cracking got louder and louder, until one sharp breaking sound made him turn around. He gasped aloud. A tree had been cut right through the bottom and was now falling towards him.

Steve screamed in terror, instincts kicking in, and he ran as fast as he could from the falling oak. The tree crashed to the ground and knocked him off his feet from the impact. 

The miner rolled a few blocks away before pushing himself up to sit on the ground. He somehow kept his sword in his hand and looked at the fallen oak, taking deep breaths. There was silence for a few moments. “Dear Jeb,” he thought aloud. “That tree could have crushed me… that was way too close.”

“You don’t even know how close you still are.”

That voice. It came again. And this time, it was right behind Steve. He knew that voice anywhere. It was the voice of his deepest darkest fears and worst nightmares. That voice had haunted him for years and now he knew who had been terrorizing him just moments ago. And now, he was more afraid than he had ever been. “No…” the miner whispered. He daringly turned his head, ever so slowly, to look over his shoulder.

A bright light suddenly blinded the miner as he fully turned to face the one who had spoken to him. He closed his eyes and tried to shield them. The brightness died down enough so he could open them, and he looked up. There stood what appeared to be human, but Steve knew he was anything but that. He looked almost identical to Steve, down to the clothes and hair color. But this being’s hair was down past his shoulders, he lacked freckles, his build was much more healthy and strong, and his eyes… His eyes were white as snow and shined brightly in the dark of the woods. 

Steve made a sharp gasp. “Herobrine!” he shouted. He recognized those white eyes anywhere. This was the Demi-God who had haunted him most of his life and had very nearly beaten him to death several different times during his adult life. He knew now he was in for a world of hurt.

Herobrine could see the miner trembling in fear as he held his sword close to him. It was a feeble attempt to protect himself and he let out a dark chuckle. “Hello, Steven. Did you have fun with the little queen today?” 

Steve didn’t answer, he was stuff as a board and terrified for his life right now. He knew that this man hated him. What other reason would there be for all the fear and near death beatings he had instilled in the miner?

And Steve knew that he may not make it out alive this time.

The miner only now noticed Herobrine had his two crimson swords at his sides, the blades dark as redstone with flecks of red floating around them. He had seen the sheer power and mastery over those blades the ancient man had. He had flawless skills of battle and those skills made it a struggle to even fight the guy.

Steve kept his eyes on one of those blades as Herobrine put one in the strap that ran around his torso, in the part on his back. He took the other blade, holding it up and running a hand along the flat edge. The glow of his eyes shined in the reflective surface.

Herobrine chuckled again and looked back at the fearful miner, seeing how badly he was shaking. Oh, how he  _ relished _ that fear. It was like a potion to him, something he was very much addicted to. And even if this would be the miner’s final fight, he would treasure that feeling.

The Nether Prince began a slow, menacing walk towards the human, the sword in his hand at his side. Steve’s body practically screamed at him and he began to scoot backwards on his behind, trying to keep distance between himself and the being. He kept his sword in his hands and gripped tightly to the leather on the handle. The miner began to speak to Herobrine, a tone of pleading in his voice. “Herobrine, please, don’t--don’t do this! I beg of you! Please, if I’ve done something wrong, let me fix it!” 

His plea stopped when he felt himself bump into the trunk of the fallen oak and he looked back. Oh, no, he was really trapped now. He turned his head forward again and saw the King of the Mobs wasn’t too far from him. He shook his head. This can’t be happening! This can’t be happening again! Steve began to beg once more, holding up a hand. “Herobrine, please, I don’t know--if--I--I did something wrong, but if I did, please, let me fix it! I just--please, don’t do this!”

Herobrine let out a dark laugh and he put a hand on one hip. “Oh, Steven, how naive you are… You really think your pleas will get you anywhere? You have no say in the matter of your life anymore. That fate is mine to decide now.” He made it within two blocks of the miner and stared him down. The Nether Prince brandished his blade and lifted it slightly, only to sheathe it onto his back. “Hmm… how about we have a little fun first, Steven?” 

Steve tried to scramble away as Herobrine slowly reached a hand towards him. He didn’t move far enough fast enough because the man clasped onto his forehead and held him in his spot. The miner squirmed around and clasped onto the wrist of the hand on him, trying to pry it off. “Let go of me!”

Herobrine only grinned wickedly and tightened his grip in response, making the miner cry out. He loved to hear that sound. His cries were something he savored. “You’re not going anywhere, miner. How about we play on  _ my _ stomping grounds, hmm?” He closed his eyes and concentrated his powers into his hands, letting a white mist engulf him and the human. The miner stopped his struggles in an instant and he let the mist surround his form.

Steve had felt this energy before, it was strange and made his body feel cold and stiff. He knew what Herobrine was doing now:

He was going to pull him into the nightmare realm again.

Realizing this, the miner began to kick his legs out and grabbed onto the hand again. “No, stop! Not again! Please, don’t!”

Herobrine opened one eye to see his prey begging for mercy once more, but he let that devious smile of his cross his face as more of his powers flowed into the man’s head. He concentrated it more and let one intense bolt zap through his arm.

A sharp pain erupted from Steve’s head and he screamed, “AHHHHAAAAAHHHAAAA!” He tried to fight it, but there was nothing he could do. He struggled again and again, until he felt his body go numb and his head began to pound. His body went limp against the oak and he nearly fell from Herobrine’s grasp. He let darkness engulf him and everything went black. Steve’s eyes closed for only a few moments…

Then they fluttered open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh... looks like Stevie's in trouble! How's he gonna get out of this one!  
> Hope you you guys are enjoying this story, I'm having tons of fun with it!


	6. Poison in My Veins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woop woop! Another chapter up, everyone! This one is a little shorter, but damn do I love how it came out!  
> I like writing nightmare scenes like this!  
> Enjoy!

Steve’s eyes fluttered open to darkness, nothing but a pure black world that let no light through. He realized he was somehow standing? And he could see himself clearly in the darkness? He held up his hands and looked over them. Nothing about himself was different. But then again, this wasn’t in the waking world.

A dark laugh had the miner turning on his heels as he searched for the source. “What… He--Herobri--brine? Is that you?”

“Aww, what’s the matter, Steven? You don’t want to play with me?”

Steve was terribly afraid, feeling his whole body quiver badly. He didn’t know what Herobrine was planning to do, but he didn’t want to find out. Looking around, the miner shouted out into the darkness, “Please, Herobrine! I don’t want to do this! I don’t know what I did to earn your wrath, but please let me fix it! I just want to go home! Please, don’t do this!”

Herobrine chuckled again. “Oh, Steven. There’s no need to apologize. Your fate was sealed the moment you walked into those woods. Now... how about we invite some friends?”

Steve whimpered softly. “What… what’s that supposed to mean?”

There was no response. Steve felt himself taking a few steps back in the endless black plain Herobrine had pulled him into. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

A small screech made his eyes go wide. A few more screeches echoed from the darkness. A tiny pair of white eyes flashed from the black and Steve jumped back in shock. A few more pairs opened and showed themselves and those ones multiplied even more. “No…” the human whispered, knowing exactly what those were. 

The eyes began to move, and the creatures showed themselves. Silverfish. White-eyed silverfish. They wriggled around with what seemed to be anticipation as they stared the miner down. Steve shouted and jumped back again. He was  _ terrified _ of silverfish. They may not be very big in size, but in groups, they were more than a nuisance. That, and enough of their poison from a large group could kill a man. Steve knew this all too well.

He had only been thirteen when he and his father had accidentally destroyed a silverfish nest in a mining trip and they had attacked him. His father was barely able to get them off of him, and the young boy had spent three weeks in bed recovering.

Steve saw one creature begin to move towards him. Another followed, then another, then another, until they all began to move in unison towards him. He turned on his heels and began to run, run away from those vile things. He ran as fast as his legs could push him and he turned to look over his shoulder. The silverfish were only blocks away. “NO!” shouted the miner, trying his damndest to escape.

But it wouldn’t be enough.

The laces on one of his boots came undone, making him trip over his own feet. Steve couldn’t stop himself from falling and he smacked face first into the ground he couldn’t see. He tried to push himself up with a pained groan. “Ooowwww… damn it…”

A hiss caught his attention, and that was when he turned and remembered why he was running in the first place. “SHIT!” Steve shouted. He tried to push onto his feet, but just as he readied to stand, a sharp pain erupted from his lower left side. 

“AHHH!” Steve stopped in his place and looked down. One of the little bugs has jumped in his struggle and was now sinking its teeth into his side. He tried to reach for it, but another sting came from the back of his left leg. He cried out again and tried again to reach. Another silverfish in the back of his ankle, another in his arm, and they didn’t stop.

Steve was now shrieking in agony, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he tried to take the pain. It wasn’t working, it felt like fire was running through his veins and the miner couldn’t even move. He was trembling violently, his body felt like it was shutting down. His vision was blurring in and out. Oh, Gods… it hurt.  _ It hurt so badly. And every bit of it felt so real. _

In an act of desperation, the man shouted into the darkness. “AHHH! HEROBRINE! PLE--PLEASE, STOP! PLEASE! I CAN’T TAKE ANYMORE! PLEASE!”

His cries fell on deaf ears. He went ignored.

Steve’s body couldn’t keep him standing anymore. He fell to the ground, breathing shallow and quick. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t. Was this where it ended?

*****

Herobrine looked down at the miner on the ground in front of him. The man was curled into a tight ball with his knees close to his chest and hands clutching onto his head. The human’s eyes were sealed tightly, yet tears flowed from their corners. He was lying on his side, whimpering and sobbing loudly. 

The Nether Prince chuckled and got onto one knee near the mortal. He couldn’t help but smile like a madman. He  _ was addicted _ to this fear, this pain, seeing this man at his mercy like this. “How amusing,” Herobrine thought aloud as he tilted his head to the side with that vile smile. “He thinks it’s real. He thinks he truly is on the edge of death… how  _ adorable. _ ” The last word of that sentence had a sinister sound to it, a venom that would sting even physically.

The King of the Mobs stood and pulled out one of his swords, having sheathed them both earlier. “Alright, Steven. That’s enough dreaming for you. Time to get this show started.” He snapped the fingers of his free hand. “Awaken, Miner.”

All was quiet for no more than a minute. Then, Steve’s eyes snapped open. He gasped sharply and clutched his shirt as his hands flew to his chest. He began to take rapid breaths and scrambled to sit up in his place. Steve sat up and looked around as his vision began to focus. “Wh.. wha… what…” He couldn’t even speak. That was  _ horrifying.  _ He thought he really was dying. He thought that he was being eaten alive. Where in the world--

“Well, good morning, sleepyhead.”

Steve’s head snapped to in front of him and that was when he felt panic set in. “Oh, dear Dinnerbone.” He forgot where he was and who had put him into that trance in the first place.

Herobrine smiled and brandished his blade once more. “You know, Steven, I thought you were tougher than that. You’ve yet again proven to me how weak you truly are. You can’t even fight a simple nightmare.”

Steve shook his head. “Herobrine, please, don’t do this! I’ve said already I will fix whatever had angered you! Please, just leave me be! Please!” He was begging at this point, desperate to escape in one piece. However, another dark laugh from the ancient man made him realize that pleading was futile. 

“Oh, dear Steven… you’re pathetic. You think words will sway me? You’re so foolish.” Herobrine raised his blade above his head, holding tightly to the handle with both hands. He whispered something in the tongue of the Gods, and suddenly his sword’s blade was engulfed in flames. 

“Whoa!” Steve jumped back and watched the man raise the blade high over his head. Time seemed to slow as he prepared to bring it down. Steve could only watch in terror, frozen in place, before something shining caught his attention. He looked down to see his diamond blade, right next to him where he had dropped it. 

The blade came down…

And the sounds of sword meeting sword rang through the air. 

Herobrine looked down to see Steve baring his teeth as he used all of his strength to try and hold back the Demi-God’s blade with his own weapon. The miner grunted, before pushing and moving Herobrine the smallest bit. Herobrine pulled his blade away and stepped back. To his surprise, the human moved up onto his feet, sword’s handle tight in his grasp and a look of anger written on his face.

“What’s this,” the Nether Prince asked with face curiosity. “The miner decides to stand and fight instead of cowering away? How  _ interesting. _ ”

Steve ignored every part of his brain screaming to run away and instead took a defensive stance, sword held in front of him. He really didn’t want to fight Herobrine, he had nearly lost his life to several fights against this being. But he knew he really didn’t have a choice at this point. He was going to fight a good fight, even if it would be until the very end. 

Steve looked into those white eyes. “You’ve made it very clear, Herobrine,” his voice rang out, strong and determined. “You will not be letting me escape. So, I suppose there’s no say in the matter. I will fight you, as I always have. I know you’re a warrior, so I will fight you as one.” He tightened his grip and narrowed his eyes at seeing the man pull his other blade from his back. “I won’t let myself fall so easily, Herobrine.”

A sinister chuckle. “So be it, Steven. But just know this one thing…” He readied his own two blade and got into his stance. “Not even the Gods can save you now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, shit, the battle is about to begin!!!  
> I hope you guys liked this chapter, even if it was shorter. It was JOY to write!


	7. Diamond and Crimson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I have the next chapter for you all!  
> Here's where we get into the battle between Steve and Herobrine! This part was a BLAST to write, and I'm so happy with how it came out!  
> Hope you enjoy! I love writing battle scenes!

There stood the miner across from the Nether Prince, both men with swords in hand and defensive stances taken. Steve gripped tightly to the leather on the handle of his blade. He knew how strong Herobrine was, he had fought him many times before. This man wasn’t human and it showed. But he knew he couldn’t just let himself go down so easily. Begging was useless, so he had no choice but to fight. 

Herobrine and Steve walked in a slow circle, keeping their distance as they stared each other down. The Demi-God spoke, “You’ve surprised me, Steven. You were pleading for my mercy only moments ago. This is sudden, but you seem to know my ways well. You know how much I enjoy a good fight.”

Steve let a small scowl cross his features. “You made it clear, Herobrine,” he replied. “I can’t beg my way out of death, so you’ve given me no choice. I won’t let myself fall.”

“We’ll see about that.” And with that, Herobrine rushed forward with his blades in hand, raising one and keeping the other held at his side. He made a jump and brought the blade down into Steve’s now raised diamond sword, the sound they made echoing through the darkness. The being pulled back and swung his other blade and Steve leaned down to block the lower blow. He then swung as Herobrine readied for another attack, the being stopping his attack with inhuman reflexes. 

The two began to swing back and forth at each other, attack after precise attack with swords clashing each and every time. Steve would attempt to catch Herobrine off guard but the man knew all his moves and would stop him every time. And the Demi-God, to his surprise, wasn’t using all his strength, seeming to match the strength of the miner and keeping him on alert.

Steve was growing tired at this point, sweat forming on his face and rolling down his temples. He could feel his arms starting to tremble with every blocked attack. Why did he have to leave his shield at home? That would’ve helped a lot right now. 

The Demi-God stepped back, tossing his head back to move his long hair over his shoulder. The miner saw his chance, pulling his sword back and throwing a fist towards the man. Before he could even process what was happening, Herobrine dropped one blade and grabbed onto the human’s wrist. Steve gaped in surprise and tried to pull his hand back. 

However, the King of the Mobs dropped his other blade and held onto the mortal’s wrist with two hands. He turned on his heels, taking Steve with him, and began to spin in wild circles. The miner shouted as he was lifted into the air and his world spun and just kept spinning. He didn’t realize until it was too late that Herobrine then lowered him and let go of his wrist.

Steve screamed as he flew over the grass and he silently wailed when his back collided with a large oak. Loud cracking sounds followed the crash and he almost thought his back was broken, though the sounds were more wooden than bone. 

The miner’s sword fell from his hand and he dropped to the ground, on his rear end. He leaned against the tree and let out a loud groan of pain. His back throbbed in agony, it hurt so much. Steve almost thought the being had cracked some of his ribs or broken his spine. Tears began rolling down his cheeks and he felt a warm fluid slip from the side of his mouth. He was dizzy, he tried to see where Herobrine was but his vision was blurring in and out.

Herobrine chuckled darkly and began to walk to the groaning miner, picking up both of his swords along the way. He could smell blood and it was intoxicating. He knew something had to be broken in the man.

Steve managed to pry his eyes open as his body shook with pain and saw Herobrine walking towards him with his swords in hand. He tried to stand as he took a hold on his sword. He stumbled as he stood, nearly falling over in the process. He coughed and a few droplets of crimson fell to the grasses below.

“Aw, what’s wrong, Steven? Did that  _ hurt, _ ” came to being’s mocking tone. He couldn’t help but grin manically at the miner. 

Steve managed to shoot a weak glare at Herobrine and muttered, “Shut… your… mouth… I’m going to--to… keep fighting. Until… the--the very...end.”

Herobrine could hear how his voice trembled in weakness. “Oh my, I haven’t heard someone tell me something like that since… well, you already know, don’t you?”

Steve lifted his head to look at the Nether Prince. “What--what are you… talking about?” 

“Oh, you don’t remember,” Herobrine responded. “You remember how your parents were attacked by the Ender Dragon, don’t you?”

Steve’s eyes went wide at the mention of his parents. His eyes snapped open and he watched as Herobrine held one of his blades up, looking at his reflection in the shining surface. “Well, the dragon didn’t actually kill them.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Fighting until the very end… well… that was the last thing your mother said before I slayed her.”

Steve’s world seemed to come crashing down on him in an instant, and his mind flashed to that day.

*****

_ It had been a perfectly normal day for the miner. He and Stephanie had been sitting in their front yard. Then, two voices came calling from down the road. Two of his friends, Sam and Alex, came running and had told him that his parents home was now in ruins. They had heard news of an Ender Dragon attack in the Overworld and knew the area was right near the miner’s parents’ home.  _

_ Steve had dropped everything and made his way to the mountain where his home was. His childhood home had been destroyed, there were remains of a large stone castle within the mountain that had also been torn down. But the worst part? His parents, Sandra and Jared. Their bodies lay atop the biggest rubble pile. Steve didn’t even check their wounds, he had just run to them in a frenzy of denial and hoped they were alive. _

_ He still remembered his shout into the night sky, a wail of pure pain and sadness. His only family… gone with nothing he could have done… _

*****

“No…” the miner whispered as he looked up at Herobrine. “No… no,” his voice began to get stronger. “No, you--you’re wrong. That dragon attack killed them! You’re lying!”

“Oh, quite the contrary, miner,” the Nether Prince spoke. “The dragon was simply a way to get past the defenses your mother built. I dealt with them myself.”

“No! That’s not true!” Steve shouted and held onto his sword so tight that he was sure it would break. 

“You should have heard her, Steven,” the being continued with no care for his words. “She was practically begging you to come home so she could see you one last time.”

“Shut up!” Steve yelled, his voice hoarse but infuriated. 

“She was begging for mercy. And what you said about fighting until the end? Well, that was the last thing she said before I slit her--”

“SHUT THE HELL UP!” And with that, the miner rushed forward, raising his blade above his head. He let out a battle cry as it came down, only to be blocked by Herobrine’s crimson blades. Steve stepped back after the strike and snarled at the Nether Prince. “That’s it, Herobrine! You’ve gone too far this time! You’re gonna pay for what you did!”

“We’ll see about that, miner,” the being chuckled. He saw the man swing at him again and he blocked it again. They continued as they had before but this time, the miner’s swings were slightly more reckless and feeble. This left him open for a few attacks and he now had several small cuts all over his arms and legs and one good sized one on his chest.

Steve was getting weaker with each swing, with each blocked attack and he could feel his body trying to shut down as he tried again and again to hit Herobrine. He took several steps back after one last failed strike and he growled and hissed. Everything hurt, but his anger was fueling him to keep going.

This madman had killed his parents and for what reason? Steve didn’t want to know. All he wanted was to make Herobrine pay for what he did. 

Steve tried one last time to land a blow against the being and was blocked again. He just couldn’t get through his defenses. This was annoying at this point.

Herobrine could see how heated the mortal was becoming and he grinned darkly. Maybe it was time to ramp things up a bit.

He sheathed one of his blades into his back strap and held out a hand, letting the heat of the Nether concentrate into it. A fireball suddenly formed and he slung it towards the miner. 

Steve’s eyes went wide and he barely dodged the flaming projectile, turning to see it crash into a nearby birch. “Whoa! What in the Aether--”

“Oh Steven! Catch!”

Steve turned in time to see Herobrine with three more fireballs, spinning in his place and stopping to let them sling out of his hand. Steve barely managed to move down to dodge one fireball, the others heading straight for him. He held up his sword and waited only a moment. He then swung, sending the flaming charges flying off into two other trees.

Herobrine blinked in surprise. Ah, so the miner knew the “Return-to-Sender” trick many humans knew from Ghast fireballs. Well, no matter, he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

The Nether Prince put his other sword on his back. “Impressive, Steven. Very impressive. You may know many of my tricks, but this is one I’ll bet you haven’t seen yet.” 

Steve huffed and held up his sword. His body was so weak, so tired, he was worn out to the bone. His adrenaline flow was just about up and all the pain from his many wounds was slowing him down. He could feel his legs shake, the miner knew he didn’t have much fight left in him. He’d probably bleed out before he would defeat this man, despite that his blood wasn’t running as much as he thought it would. 

Steve spit some of his coppery life fluid from his mouth and looked Herobrine dead in those white eyes. “Do your worst.”

“As you wish, miner.” Herobrine closed his eyes, held his arms out to his sides, and began to whisper in the ancient tongue of the gods. He let the feeling of fire in his veins surge into his palms and when he opened his eyes again, flames danced within the white surface. Orange and blue fires began to dance between his hands.

Steve jumped in shock when he saw the man’s eyes. “What the Nether?!”

Herobrine shot a sharp glare to the man, before closing his eyes and raising his arms over his head.  _ “ERIF FO GNIR!” _

The area around the miner and the Nether Prince suddenly burst into flames, a large ring of it surrounding the two and lighting up the forest in a bright orange light. Grass and wood began to crackle and snap in the heat. 

Steve turned on his heels over and over, almost falling in the process, to see the flames around him and Herobrine. He was trapped. There was nowhere to run without running into the flames and he realized that there was nowhere to run. “What the--he’s gonna burn the forest down!”

“Oh, Steven?”

Steve snapped his head back to Herobrine, but the being had vanished in a cloud of purple dust. He stayed in his place, perfectly still. He couldn’t hear anything, see anything, and he froze. Oh, dear Jeb, where did he go?

A sudden kick to his back had the miner falling to the ground, his sword flying from his hand. He laid there for a moment, before rolling onto his back and weakly pushing himself up with his arms. Violent coughs escaped Steve’s lips and blood dribbled from the corner of his lips. He barely opened his eyes to see Herobrine standing there, sword fading into tiny particles that floated and disappeared into the night sky. 

Herobrine watched the weakened miner lay on the ground. His breathing was shallow and rough and his whole body quivered in agony and terror. Herobrine walked towards him, knowing that he couldn’t run now. “Well, Steven, you certainly put up a good fight. Too bad it was all for naught.”

Steve coughed again, before his hoarse voice came through over the crackling sounds of the fire. “Hero--Hero...brine. Please… I beg of you. Don’t… don’t--do this.” Despite his pleas, the Demi-God walked ever so closer. Through his half-closed eyes, he saw Herobrine take his sword into one hand, and when he reached the miner, that other hand wrapped around his neck and lifted him a few inches off the ground. Steve wanted so badly to try and free himself, but all his strength was gone, and he could see his vision starting to go black at its edges.

Herobrine looked into the violet eyes of his prey. The man was ever so close to falling out of consciousness and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re so foolish, Steven,” he said in a low voice full of mischief. “You really thought you could win that fight. You used all your strength for nothing. You… are…  _ pathetic.” _ He raised Steve’s own diamond blade up, and squeezed the miner’s neck tighter. “Say goodbye, Steven Mindrall.”

Steve’s mind was panicking, but all he could manage to do was put an arm up and try to grab onto the hand around his neck. “He--Hero--brine! Please--don’t do this! Please! HEROBRINE! NOOOOOOO!”

*****

Only a moment later, a loud scream of agony echoed through the forest, into the night sky, and into the castle of a young queen and her iron golem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh! Could this be the end of Steve? And what will happen if anyone hears that scream?  
> Find out soon!


	8. A Haunting Cry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, baby! I'm on a roll with these chapters!  
> This one is one of my personal favorites and I just adore how it came out!  
> Enjoy!

Celina’s gray eyes moved up to watch a few bubbles pop from her brewing stand, Irona’s red eyes doing the same. The golem stood with a hand on her hip, watching the stands as she stood next to her queen.

After coming in from mining, Celina had shown her crystal to Irona and then invited her to help her with some potion brewing. The tiny queen was well renowned for her potion brewing. She went beyond simple healing, regeneration, and strength potions. She knew all the recipes off the back of her hand and she even knew how to combine them to make them more potent or give other effects.

Celina took one bottle and gently sniffed its contents. “Hmm… doesn’t smell right. Irona, can you hand me another Ghast Tear, and… another bottle of liquid Lapis?”

The golem nodded, reaching into a nearby chest and pulling out the ingredients. The Ghast Tear was unmodified, but the Lapis was a little concoction from the queen. It was something added to her Regen-Healing combo potions. The potion itself hurt a lot in its healing process, but the liquified and enchanted Lapis was made to give some anesthetic effects to the mix. Once the pain was over, the Lapis would kick in.

Celina poured the Lapis in and dropped in the tear. A few moments of bubbling later, a puff of white smoke flew from the top. The other two potions in the stand soon followed and there they were, ready for healing.

Celina smiled and pulled the bottles into her hands. “Alright! Three Regen-Healing potions!” She heard Irona clap her hands and giggled. “Irona, you wanna help me with--”

_ “EEEERRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” _

The queen and the iron golem both jumped out of their skin at the sound of a loud wail in agony. Celina put a hand to her chest in shock, her heart pounding. “What in the End was that?!”

Irona squeaked and made several metal screeching and clicking noises. She knew Celina could understand her, the girl had known her long enough to know what she was saying.

Celina quirked a brow. “A scream? But… but who in the world would be out there at this time of night? It sounds like it came from the forest, and Steve’s village is over a mile away.”

Irona blinked, before putting a hand to her chin in thought. Wait, Steve had been with Celina only a few short hours ago. Did he make it home safe? She squeaked again.

“What do you mean,” asked the queen.

Another series of clicks and clacks.

“Well, I offered to walk him home, and even some torches and a compass. But… he… didn’t… take them…” That was when it hit Celina, like a pile of falling gravel.

*****

_ “Look, Celina, I’ve been face-to-face with him before.” _

*****

“Oh dear Gods. Steve,” she whispered. Irona raised a brow and Celina’s face fell. “Irona, I had that dream last night. The one about  _ Him. _ And there was… that torch on the steps.” She felt her mind going into a frenzy. “Oh, Gods. Irona, if those were all signs that he’s here… that scream could’ve been Steve. He… he could’ve been  _ attacked _ by him!”

Irona let out a gasp as the human tangled her hands into her hair. “Oh, no, no, no, no! Irona, I need to get out into that forest! Steve could be in trouble!” She looked up at the golem. “Irona, get my horse, I have to get out there!”

The two took off out the wooden doors of the Grand Room, Celina turning to look out into the forest as Irona ran to the stables. She could see no movement from the woods, but if she was right, the miner was somewhere in there. And Jeb knows what happened to him. “Hold on, Stevie,” the queen whispered. “I’m coming to help you.” 

A small snort came from behind her and she turned on her heels. Irona had brought Celina’s white steed, Maximus, wearing his saddle and golden armor. The queen smiled and walked to pet her horse’s snout. “Hey, Maxy! You wanna go for a ride, boy?”

The horse licked her face like in the manner of a dog. She chuckled, before climbing up and onto the saddle. She took a hold of the reins and looked down to Irona. The iron being had her brows furrowed and a deep frown on her face. 

Celina sighed. “Irona… I know this is dangerous, especially if he’s out there. But… Steve means a lot to me. He’s like a brother to me, I love him. I’m gonna go out there and find him.” She tilted her head. “There’s some fish in the food chests in the storage room. Feel free to grab some if you get hungry.” She took a deep breath and straightened up. “If I don’t come back within the hour… wait until morning to come find us. For now, please take care.”

Irona nodded and took Celina’s hand, giving it a soft kiss. The queen smiled and waved to her friend. If this was the last time she’d see the golem, she wanted a happy picture of her.

“Alright. Maximus, let’s go, boy!” She snapped the reins, and with that, the queen was off, the horse’s steps clopping on the grass. She kept a determined look on her face as the horse made his way into the woods. One way or another, she was going to find her friend.

Celina didn’t even notice the white eyes looking at her from a tall oak near her castle.

*****

The silence of the night and darkness of the forest were both broken by a white horse wearing golden armor with a small girl on his back. She carried a torch in one hand as she looked around, her gray eyes searching for any sign of life in the woods. 

Celina held her torch high and looked around. She hadn’t seen a single sign of life out here… and that was very strange. “ _ Hmm… something about this isn’t… right. There’s no passive mobs, no hostile mobs. There isn’t anyone out here.”  _ She knitted her brows together. “ _ There should at least be some zombies or something. But… where did that cry come from? I don’t see--” _

“Hello… is someone--some--one... there?”

Celina’s eyes went wide. That was a voice. It was very weak, weary, and sounded pained, but it was definitely there. “What the… Maxy, slow down, boy.”

The horse whinnied in response and slowed until he came to a stop. Celina climbed down from the saddle, her face full of worry. The woods were still and a light fog hung in the air, seeming to glow with an ethereal shine. She kept her torch close. Something about there being no mobs out tonight didn’t seem right.

Celina cleared her throat, before speaking out into the darkness. “He--Hello? Is… is someone there?”

“Celina… Celina, is… is that--that you?”

The queen felt her blood run cold at hearing her name. The voice was a little familiar, but she couldn’t place where. She dearly hoped it wasn’t Steve, and that he was safe at home, sleeping in his bed. She pursed her lips together, before pulling her sword from her belt and into her free hand. “Maximus, stay here. I need to find that voice’s source.”

The horse seemed to nod. Celina then took careful, quiet steps into the woods, soon out of sight among the trees.

****

Celina’s small steps barely made any noise as she made her way through the woods. She had been out for no more than a few minutes in the forest, holding her torch close and her sword closer. In her search, she hadn’t come across a single sign of life and it was really starting to worry her. The girl didn’t know where the voice she heard was coming from, but she found herself feeling compelled to keep going. She had a bad feeling about what might happen when she did, but she also had a feeling in her gut that she needed to keep going.

Celina stopped in her tracks as the voice spoke again. 

“Celina… ple--please… hurry, Your Highness. I… I don’t…”

She looked around for a moment, turning in circles. “Hello? If you can hear me… please, say something. I’m trying to find you!” She didn’t even know who she was talking to, but she needed to assure them that she was here to help them.

“Your Majesty… please, help me… please…”

It trailed off and Celina felt herself beginning to tremble. “That didn’t sound good,” she whispered. “I need to find whoever’s out here before it’s too late.” She began her walk again, not even seeing the white glow from behind a tree. She couldn’t hear a voice speak to her ever so softly.

“That’s right, little girl. Run to your miner. Run to him.”

*****

Celina slowed her steps as she came into a dark clearing, her torch having burned down. She decided to rely on her eyes to help her through should something be here and see her torch. She knew how some mobs were attracted to light, and though she could fight, a horde of zombies or a haunting of Endermen would have no trouble with her.

_ “Well,”  _ she thought.  _ “This sounds about where that voice was coming from. But, I don’t see--” _

_ Crunch _

Celina stopped as a small crunching noise came from under her foot. She looked down with raised brows. A patch of the grass under her foot was dark in color, black like charcoal. She got onto one knee to examine it, running two fingers along the spot and bringing it up to her face. “What the Nether? This grass is burnt.” That was odd.  _ Very _ odd. “Did… did someone not surround their campfire?”

The queen looked around to see that the burnt grass ran in a large ring around her. She also spotted a few trees with some scorch marks on them. “What…” Celina mused. “Those look like… like marks from fireballs. But, that doesn’t make sense. Only Ghasts and Blazes can shoot fireballs. And they live in the Nether.” The queen frowned and scrunched her brows. “Something about this isn’t right,” she spoke to herself. “There’s fireball marks and burnt grass here. Someone must have been playing with fire. But… who would do that at this time of night? Everyone is asleep by now. It’s too dangerous to do that now.”

She stood from her place and huffed. “What in the Overworld happened here?” 

“Celina.”

A soft, pained voice made her stiffen and sent chills down her spine. Celina’s gray eyes went wide.

It was the voice again.

But it sounded like it was right behind her this time.

She gulped and slowly turned on her heels. It was then she saw something on the ground, something dark. It was a large pool of liquid at the base of a thick oak tree, and there was also some of it splattered in smaller spots. Celina squinted, before taking a step back in shock. “Is that… blood?”

“Celina…”

Celina could hear it again, and so her eyes slowly traveled up to the source. A sharp gasp escaped her lips and a hand flew to her mouth in shock. “Oh… my… Gods…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahahahaha! I'm leaving you on a cliffhanger... for now.  
> I just love writing stuff like this!  
> Next chapter's gonna be a heart breaker, but man, I'm excited for it!  
> Thank you all for reading so far!


	9. I'll Save You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone!  
> Man, I'm having so much fun with this story!  
> Anyways, I have two chapters ready this time, so that way I don't leave it on such a weird part.  
> Anyways, this chapter gave me some feels, so I hope you like it!

“Oh… my… Gods…”

There, hanging from the tree by a sword through his chest, was Steve. He was bruised and battered, with scratches, cuts and darkened spots littering his whole form. Blood dripped from his arms and legs, from the corner of his lips, from holes in his jeans and shirt. The belt on his chest was gone, the one in his jeans torn. His normally pristine hair was a mess and he looked so tired and in so much pain. Tears rolled down his face from the creases of his eyes. The worst part? He had a large wound across his chest, and in it was his diamond sword, keeping him pinned and hanging from the tree. 

“Oh, my Gods, Steve!” Celina shouted, putting her sword in her belt and running to her figurative brother. She held up her hands and curled them up. The miner didn’t even flinch at his name and she felt tears forming in her eyes. No, what happened to him?! “Steve, what happened?! Who did this?!”

The miner didn’t answer and she looked from his face to his chest. She couldn’t see him breathing. He was still as stone. “No… no, Steve. Steven. Oh, Gods, Steven Alfonce Mindrall, please, answer me! Wake up, please?!”

There was still no answer from the miner. Celina felt herself wanting to fall to her knees, her legs were wobbling and she couldn’t help but let a sob escape her lips. Oh, no… she was too late. The queen felt hot tears rolling down her face as she closed her eyes. No, the queen was too late and now he was--she didn’t even want the thought to cross her mind but it seemed to be true. What did Steve do to deserve this? She knew he had only ever been a good person, no one like him deserved such a cruel death. Celina did her best now to fall to her knees and cried loudly, throwing her head back in hysteria. “Steve!”

There was almost no movement. Then, Steve’s eyes slowly opened. He was only able to get them open a little bit, but it was just enough. His darkened vision cleared ever so slowly. The spots of black faded and he let a tiny sigh escape his lips. He was hurting so badly. Steve tried to breathe but his lungs ached so badly. His head was pounding, his limbs were stinging and his chest burned. He wanted so much for this agony to stop, but something had woken him up from his nearly unconscious state. 

Steve managed to tilt his head up the tiniest bit. He saw a familiar figure in front of him, a girl in bright clothes and a crown, her enchanted diamond sword on her belt. Steve recognized her. It was his figurative sister. He tried to speak, but only a few quiet, strained noises came out. The man was so weak, he took several deep breaths, swallowing down his pain. He then managed to croak out, “...Celina? Is--is that… is that you?”

Celina’s eyes flew open, she snapped her head up to look at the miner and that was when she saw his eyes. They were barely open with globules of clear fluid filling them. Celina let a gasp escape her lips. He was alive. Steve was somehow alive, conscious, and clinging to life by a string. “Ste… Steve,” she whispered. She carefully took one of Steve’s hands into hers and held it close as she stepped closer to him. “Oh, dear Jeb, Steve, what happened?”

Steve winced as she took his hand. It hurt,  _ everything hurt. _ His whole body was aching and burning so much, he wanted to sleep to put his pain at ease, but he knew he couldn’t sleep now. It might be the end of him if he did. 

Trying to keep himself from crying out, Steve looked into Celina’s gray eyes. “I--I…” he started, voice weak and hoarse. “I was--just… wa--walking home. I… I didn’t have… any tor--ches, and… I got lost. I tried--gett--ing home… on my own. Then… I was… was--attacked.”

Celina felt herself wanting to sob at hearing Steve. He sounded so weak and in so much pain. She didn’t know how long he had been out here, but now she could only curse herself for now finding him sooner. She shook her head. Now was not the time to wallow in self-pity. She had to save Steve. Who knows how much blood he had lost already? And he was still losing more. 

The queen held onto Steve’s hands a little tighter. “Don’t worry, Steve, I’m… I’m going to save you. Just please, hang on.” She brought his hand close, closing her eyes, and gave it a gentle kiss. “I’m going to save you, Steven. I promise.”

Steve would have smiled if he had the strength. He knew the younger one only called him Steven when she truly meant something. He knew how serious this was. 

Celina opened her eyes and looked up the sword holding her figurative brother in place. That sword was put there by someone and now the miner was dying because of it. She didn’t know who put that sword in his chest, but she did know she had to get it out. Celina slowly took a grip on the handle, hearing the miner wince as she did so. She sighed softly. “Forgive me if I hurt you, miner.”

With that, she began to pull on the blade, holding onto the wooden handle as tightly as she could. Celina tugged and pulled and adjusted her grip a few times, but the sword wasn’t budging. Her shoes scraped on the ground as she pulled, but nothing was working. “C’mon… c’mon… come out, damn it!” she shouted into the darkness.

The queen began pulling on the blade and as she pulled, surges of pain began to dance in Steve’s chest. He sobbed and whimpered and lightly squirmed around, too weak to scream or cry out despite how much it hurt. It was like fire in his torso and he couldn’t stand it. Everything hurt so badly and he couldn’t get it to stop. He wanted to tell his figurative sister, but he could barely draw in enough breath to keep himself from suffocating.

“C’mon!” Celina shouted again. She briefly looked up to see Steve’s face and saw how much agony he was in. “It’s--okay, Steve! I’m gonna get it out! Hold on!” She gritted her teeth and pulled harder, her hands nearly slipping from the wooden handle.

Steve let out a loud sob at a particularly strong pain, like a clawed hand was wrapped around his heart. He took as deep a breath as he could manage before speaking to the queen. “Your… Your Highness… please--please… stop. You’re… you’re hur--hurting me.”

Celina immediately ceased her efforts and looked up into her friend’s barely open violet eyes. Steve only called her by her royal titles when he was serious or truly in pain. She blinked with her mouth slightly agape, shocked from how weak Steve sounded. “I’m sorry, Steven,” she said in a gentle voice. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was just trying to help.”

“It’s… it’s alright, Ce--Celina.” Steve winced and took a few deep breaths. His head was pounding and he couldn’t concentrate on anything. He was gradually losing focus on his surroundings and was even having a hard time focusing on his friend. Steve could see tears rolling down her face. Despite the pain in his arm, like a needle in his veins, Steve reached down and wiped Celina’s eyes. He hated to see her cry. He didn’t like when she was unhappy.

The miner managed to find his voice. She had to leave. He didn’t want her to end up the same way he did. She had a whole life ahead of her. “Celina… you--you need… to get out… of here. Be--Before he… he comes back.”

Celina sniffled, but her brows rose. “Wait… before ‘who’ comes back? Who did this to you, Steve?”

Steve whimpered again. He was in so much pain and his heart was starting to strain in his chest. Hanging in the air was also very uncomfortable. He looked at his figurative sister. “He just... he--came--out… of nowhere. He just… I didn’t see him coming.”

Celina took a hold of his hand again. “Who? Who did this, Steven?”

“It… was… He...Herobrine,” he finally spoke, his voice turning to a whisper on the name. Even uttering his name made him remember everything that happened. Steve could remember the pain of the silverfish biting down on him, the fear of realizing he was at Herobrine’s mercy, the pain and exhaustion during their battle; he still remembered his own scream as the being plunged the diamond sword into his chest and pinned him here.

Celina let a gasp escape her lips. She didn’t want to believe she had been right but it was true. Herobrine had attacked the miner and left him here to die. “What… no… Steve, why would Herobrine do  _ this  _ to  _ you?” _

“I--I don’t know,” Steve feebly answered. “He… he hates me. He--he always… tries to kill me. Looks… like he… finally did.” The miner lowered his head in acceptance of his demise and the lack of strength to hold up his head anymore. He really didn’t want to die, but he had to face the facts. Celina couldn’t remove the sword and his own foolish idea to go home by himself got him killed. Now, the queen was going to have to be the one to watch him die and tell everyone what happened to him. He didn’t want that to be on her, but there was nothing he could do.

Celina heard his words and more tears ran down her face. “No, no, Steven,” she spoke, holding onto his hand again. “I’m… I won’t let you die. I’m not gonna let him kill you. Just, please, hold on.” She saw how his eyes threatened to shut. “Try to stay awake, Steve. I’ll… I’ll save you, I promise.”

She saw him nod, before her hands returned to the handle of his sword.  _ “Jeb, give me strength,”  _ She thought. _ “Please, let me save Steve. He didn’t do anything wrong. Please, let him live.”  _ With that, she took a breath and started to pull again, snorting in her efforts to remove the blade.

The queen began to pull again and the pain came again. Steve could feel hot tears on his face as he sobbed out, trying to keep himself from screaming. “Celina… pl--please… stop. It--it hurts.”

“It’s okay, Steve! I’ve--almost--got it!” She growled loudly as she failed again and let her arms go slack. “Damn it, c’mon!” She stopped for only a moment, before letting one last yell of frustration out and swiftly pulling the blade out. She stepped back with her eyes shut, the sword in her hands raised over her head. 

Steve only saw when the sword was pulled out before he fell to the ground, landing on his side in the large puddle under him. He silently screamed as he fell, and everything went black when he landed.

Celina heard the splash and the thud, and she opened her eyes to see Steve on the ground. “Oh, Jeb, Steve!” She threw the weapon aside and dropped to her knees in front of the miner, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, Steve. Steve, can you hear me? Steven Alfonce Mindrall, please, wake up! Wake up!”

Steve let out a small wince of pain, before managing to open his violet eyes and look up at Celina. “Celina… I… it--it hurts.”

Celina felt her heart breaking as she carefully took a hold of the miner, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into her lap. Steve just laid there in her lap, his breathing so shallow and soft that she could hardly hear it. He looked so tired and in so much pain. The queen gently held him, hoping the longer she held on, the more of a chance she would have to save him.

Steve could see those gray eyes looking down at him and he tried to speak. A violent cough escaped his lips and more blood flew from his mouth. When he managed to get his voice, he told Celina, “Ce… Celina. We… just--leave--me. If… if Herobrine comes--back… we’re screwed.”

The queen whispered, “I know, Steve, but I’m not leaving you. Just… just hang on.” Celina’s mind was in a frenzy, she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t bring bandages with her and the miner had lost so much blood. How was she supposed to--

Wait, she brought those Regen-Healing potions.

Celina quickly pulled a bottle from her inventory. The pinkish, reddish concoction glowed softly. She felt herself hesitating. She had used this potion on herself before. It burned and hurt like the Nether searing through your skin, and she had only used it on a broken arm. She didn’t want to imagine how much Steve would be hurting if she used it on him. Celina so badly wanted to save her friend, but she didn’t want to hurt him.

Steve saw the potion in her hand and asked, “Your Majesty… what is that?”

Celian sighed. “Steve… this is one of my Regen-Healing potions. I make them myself for big wounds. They’re very effective and can even replace lost blood. But… it comes at a cost. It burns, it hurts like the Nether. The bigger the wound, the more pain there is. I let Irona pour some in a wound I had once when I broke my arm. I must have screamed for an hour before I passed out.” She whimpered at seeing Steve’s pained face. “I… want to use this, but… Steve, I don’t want to hurt you anymore. I already did when I pulled on that sword, and you have so many wounds. I... I don’t--”

A finger was placed to her lips, and when it was removed, she looked with surprise at Steve. He spoke to her, his voice so pained and weak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll have the next chapter up shortly! I loved writing this one, these chapters are coming out great!  
> Thank you all for your support!


	10. I'll Bring You Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the next chapter! Some more feels in this one, I cried a little since this part always gets me.  
> Enjoy!

Steve spoke to Celina and she felt herself tearing up more.

“Celina,” he started weakly. “I… I know--you… don’t… want to hurt me. But--I don’t… think I can make it. I-- I know you hate… seeing me hurting. But, I… I nee--need you to… use that--that potion. Please, Celina… I don’t… I don’t want to die. Please?”

Celina’s heart shattered and she bit her lip, before sighing and nodding. She popped the cork on her bottle and held it over the miner’s largest injury. “Okay… Steven, forgive me for this.” And with that, she poured the potion into the center of the deep wound on his chest.

“EEEERRAAAAAAHHHHHHAAAAHHHH!” Steve suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs, his cry echoing through the forest and into the night. The moment the potion landed in his wound, he felt a strong, sharp agony that was like the fires of the Nether burning right through him. His body began to convulse as he shouted in pain, his arms flailing and his legs lightly kicking around. He kept screaming, stars danced at the edges of his vision as he cried out. “AHHHHHHH! MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE!” he shouted.

Celina could only watch as Steve flailed around in her lap. He was screaming, wailing out in what she could only describe as pure pain. Tears streamed down his cheeks and she could only sit there and watch the man she called a brother in his suffering. “Oh, Jeb, what have I done?!” she cried.

Steve’s voice was becoming hoarse again, but he couldn’t find himself quieting or being still. He was in so much pain, he felt like he was being ripped in half and his whole body jolted like he was being shocked by lightning. The pain was unbearable and he let out more screams. “AHHHH, PLEASE, HELP ME! EERRAAAHHHHH!”

That last scream was too much for the queen to bear. She quickly wrapped her arms around the miner and held him still. Steve managed to open his eyes and look up at Celina. He whimpered and tried to move in her lap again, but her grip was surprisingly strong. 

Celina could hear Steve letting out a series of whines and she responded, “Steve, you need to calm down! You have to try and stay still until the anesthetic effects kick in!”

“But… it--it hurts!” the miner shouted back.

“Steve, I know it hurts, but you need to stay still. If you move too much, the potion might spill out and you could die from blood loss!”

Those words made Steve go quiet for a moment, his violet orbs gazing into her gray ones with such an innocent and pained expression. He suddenly closed his eyes tightly. The miner let out a loud whine and lightly squirmed, trying to stay still. He managed to reopen his eyes and put a hand on one of Celina’s arms. “Can… can I at least… ho--hold your hand? Until… until the pain numbs down?”

Celina smiled at hearing his request. “Of course,” she answered in a gentle voice. She let Steve intertwine his fingers into her gloved ones and when he cried out again, he squeezed tightly. The queen didn’t mind though, she knew how strong he could be.

Steve winced, then looked up at Celina, his figurative sister, his savior. He managed to smile and whispered, “Thank you… Your Highness.”

Celina gave a little smile of her own, but it fell as did the miner’s when the pain worsened. She saw him taking deep breaths and trying not to cry anymore. Tears still ran down his face, so she could tell he was still hurting.  _ “Poor Steve,”  _ she thought.  _ “He’s hurting so much. I’ve got him back to the castle so we can take care of him.”  _ Celina noticed that the miner was shaking now, and she had a feeling it wasn’t just because of the pain.  _ “Poor guy, he must be cold, he’s shivering like he’s stuck in a snow block.” _

Celina carefully used one hand to pull her long pink cloak from her inventory. “Steve, can you sit up?”

Steve looked up at her, before softly replying with, “I--I think… I think so.” Celina helped Steve carefully push up, slowly but surely. He was soon leaning against her, and she wrapped the woolen garment around the miner.

Steve let a small smile grace his lips. “Thank you… thank you, Your Worship. That’s… much warmer.”

*****

Herobrine growled darkly from his spot behind a tall oak tree, looking at the backs of the humans. He pulled himself back into the shadow of the tree and looked down in frustration. His eyes glowed a little brighter in his rage.  _ “That stupid little queen!” _ he thought to himself.  _ “She’s too resourceful and prepared for her own good. I thought she wouldn’t be able to pull that sword from the tree.”  _ He sighed and pushed his bangs up on his forehead, his other hand on his hip. “ _ Well, that puts a slight stop in my plans…” _

Herobrine put a hand to his chin, tapping a finger against it. He had thought the queen wouldn’t be able to pull the sword out and the miner would die. And he would’ve been able to attack her in her mourning. But it seemed she was stronger than he thought. The Nether Prince had jammed that blade into the tree, but somehow, she saved the miner. 

The Demi-God sat in his thoughts for a few more moments. If he was going to take out both the miner and the queen, he was going to have to get them in a more vulnerable state. His head lifted as he got an idea. A devilish grin crossed his face.  _ “Well then,”  _ he thought.  _ “Let’s see just how strong you are, girl.” _

*****

Celina carefully ran her hand up and down the miner’s back, being mindful of his wounds and she did so. The anesthetic effects of her potion had kicked in and now he was much more relaxed. Steve simply leaned against her, his expression soft. Celina looked to his face. “How are you feeling, Stevie,” she asked.

Steve opened his tired violet eyes. “I--I still… feel really weak… but I’m not hurting.”

She nodded. “Good. The anesthetic won’t last forever, so we should get you to the castle. I’ve got more potions and bandages there, and we--”

_ Grroooooaannnn _

_ Hiss _

_ Clatter _

_ Vluurp _

Both Celina and Steve’s blood ran cold at the sudden sounds coming from behind them. Those sounds were all too familiar. They both turned to look over their shoulders. “Oh, no,” Celina muttered. “Please don’t tell me…”

The noises started again, this time, louder and indicating that the mobs were getting closer.

“Shoot,” Celina swore under her breath. “We need to get out of here.” She moved to her feet and looked down at the miner. “Steve, can you stand up?”

“I… I think I can.” The miner was able to make it to his feet, but cried out and fell to his knees as a surge of pain pulsed in his chest. He let out a small groan as he wrapped his arms around his torso.

Celina frowned and furrowed her brows.  _ “Shoot. Think, Celina, think! Steve can’t walk, there’s mobs out there…”  _ A redstone torch seemed to go off in Celina’s head, because her brows rose as she got an idea. “Steve, I’m gonna have to carry you back to my horse, okay?”

Steve looked up at her with slight confusion. “Carry--me? Celina, I don’t think--”

He was cut off by the queen suddenly scooping him up, holding him bridal style. Steve blinked in surprise, his violet eyes moving to her face as she let out a small giggle. “What in the Aether? How strong  _ are  _ you?”

“Stronger than you’d think,” she responded. “How do you think I was able to help Irona learn how to walk again?”

Steve chuckled, remembering the iron golem stumbling around like a toddler. “Well, yeah, I--”

Something moving caught his attention and the miner turned his head to look behind Celina. He gasped and shouted, “Your Highness, behind you!”

Celina turned on her heels with her friend still in her arms. “What--”

A fetid, rotting hand reached for the humans and the queen rushed back with a yelp in surprise. She could see a zombie had tried to reach for them and she shot it a dark glare. “Oh no, don’t you  _ dare--” _

Her words were cut off when several creepers, skeletons, zombies, and an Endermen appeared from behind some trees and out of thin air in front of the humans. The queen’s face fell for only a moment, before she turned again and began a sprint with her figurative brother in her arms. “Let’s get out of here!” she shouted, trying to make her footsteps quick with the mobs in tow.

A set of white eyes watched as the girl made her way out of the clearing, back into the trees and towards her steed again.

*****

Maximus’ head lifted as he suddenly heard a noise, his ears flicking from the sound. 

Celina suddenly burst from the trees with Steve in her arms, panting from running the whole way back to her horse. “Maxy!” she managed to say. “Maxy, we’ve gotta get home, boy!” The queen stopped before her steed, pausing to look down at her brother.

Steve’s eyes were half-closed and full of tears as he looked straight ahead of him. The pain had been gone for a bit longer in their run, but now the anesthetic effects had worn off and everything was hurting again. His head was pounding, his chest burning, and every limb felt like he had been slammed into a brick wall over and over. Steve hadn’t said a word since they left the clearing, he was hurting so bad and trying not to cry out anymore.

Celina bit her lip. Steve looked to be so zoned out from his pain, unable to focus on anything. He looked so horrible and the queen silently cursed herself for not finding him sooner. She carefully lifted the miner onto her saddle, before climbing on and pulling him into her lap. “Steve, we’re gonna head back to my castle, okay? The ride’s gonna be a little bumpy, but we’ll be there soon.”

The miner only looked up at her with those tired violet eyes, looking so innocent and pained.

Celina let out a small sigh. “C’mon, Maximus. Back to the castle, boy.” The horse seemed to nod, before taking off, heading back towards the kingdom.

Steve felt himself begin to lightly bounce as the horse moved. He slowly moved his eyes to look at Celina, his sister, his savior. He wanted to say so many things to her, to thank her for finding him and freeing him. But he couldn’t find himself able to talk.

The queen looked down at the miner, seeing him open his mouth to speak. She carefully put a gloved finger to his lips. “Save your strength, Steven,” she told him. “You need to try and stay awake. If you close your eyes now, they might not open back up. Try to stay awake, okay?”

Steve nodded. Celina closed her eyes, only to open them when she felt a small tap on her chest. She could see Steve’s gaze on her, a small smile on his lips. He was looking up at her like she was an angel. He slowly moved his arms to wrap around her waist and hugged her weakly. He then whispered, “Thank you.”

Celina felt herself tearing up. Her emotions overwhelmed her in that moment as she wrapped an arm around her brother, holding him close as Maximus continued onwards.

*****

Herobrine could see the white steed running off with the queen and miner on its back. He raised a brow, moving back behind a large birch. “Hmm… the girl isn’t as foolish as I thought she was,” he spoke to himself. “I thought she would try to fight those mobs, considering her occasional mob hunting nights… I guess I was wrong.” The Nether Prince didn’t like being wrong, but this girl was proving to be quite the surprise to him. She wasn’t as reckless as he had thought with her friend’s life in danger. And it showed.

“Well…” he mused. “I may have to change my plans. She’s certainly smarter than I realized. She knows her limits.” He tapped his chin in thought. “Well, that plan is gone… wait, her castle. She’s taking him to her home… and her citizens are all in their beds at this time in the night. The only other humans up would be her knights. But, they should be no trouble to take care of.”

Another sinister grin crossed Herobrine’s face as he turned to look in the direction of where the horse had gone with its passengers. “You may have made it out alive this time, young queen,” he whispered. “But trust me when I say: you’ll soon be begging for your life to end at my hands. I’m coming for you, little girl.” With that, the King of the Mobs vanished into a puff of purple dust, heading for the stone structure in the plains. 

Little did Herobrine know how this girl would change his life, and Minecraftia’s fate forever...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, well, looks like someone is getting ready to follow Celina. She'll never know what hit her...  
> Hope you enjoyed!


	11. Return to the Castle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!

Irona let out a worried huff as she looked at the treeline again, having been pacing back and forth for some time now. Queen Celina had left to find Steve nearly an hour ago and she was terrified. The golem hadn’t expected it to take this long, she was sure the queen would be back by now. And she still remembered what Celina had told her.

*****

_ “If I don’t come back within the hour… wait until morning to come find us. For now, please take care.” _

*****

Irona didn’t want to believe that her dear master and friend wasn’t coming back, but she truly didn’t know if she was still alive.

“Lady Irona, are you alright?”

A voice caught her attention. Standing a few feet away on the gravel road leading from the castle was a young man. He had blonde hair with streaks of red in it, light skin, and red eyes. He wore iron armor with the rose and coal piece in a crest that represented the Creatoria kingdom on the front. The iron chestplate had small pieces of red and yellow cloth decorating it. He also wore iron boots over red pants and a pair of black gloves.

Irona turned to the young man. Matthew Redson. He was one of the kingdom’s most loyal and toughest guards, and she considered him a very good friend.

Irona let out a rapid series of clicks and squeaks to him, and he nodded in understanding.

“Why did Her Highness leave for the forest,” he asked. “Was she going to Miner Steve’s village?”

Irona shook her head and let out a few more creaks.

Matthew’s brows rose. “He what?”

Another set of clicks. 

“But… but who would be out there at this time of night to attack him?”

Irona raised a hand and opened her mouth to speak again.

“Irona!”

Irona and Matthew both turned towards the trees to the south of the kingdom, having heard a voice call to the lady golem from the distance. Matthew blinked in surprise, before turning to look at Irona. “That was Queen Celina’s voice, was it not, Lady Irona?”

Irona didn’t respond. Her red eyes were frantically searching the tree line for any sign of the queen or the miner. A small noise soon became louder and louder and she realized it was the sound of hooves on gravel. Then, the voice came again.

“Irona! I found Steve!”

A white horse suddenly ran from the treeline with a young girl on his back, a man in a pink cloak being carried in her arms. 

Matthew and Irona gasped. “Oh, my Jeb,” Matthew thought aloud. “Is that Miner Steve in her arms?”

Celina watched as the castle came into view, looking down at Steve as they got closer to her home. The miner’s eyes were shut and she was holding up his head with one hand, the man having passed out part way through their journey back. As they had rode back towards the castle, Steve had cried out a few times, having jolted when they went over a few of the bumpier areas. Celina had tried to keep him awake, but she knew he was too weak to keep his eyes open. 

The miner was unconscious now, his breathing shallow. He wasn’t even reacting to the fact that she had yelled to Irona when she saw the castle come into sight over the trees. The queen was worried, so scared that Steve had fallen asleep for good this time. She would have to act fast to save his life, and she’d need all the help she could get.

Irona watched Maximus slow his pace, eventually stopping by the corner of the Throne Room’s walls. Irona took off towards her, her steps hurried.

Celina carefully hopped down from her horse, holding tightly to Steve as she did so. She turned in the direction of nearing footfalls and saw her lady golem approaching and she looked up at her. 

Irona looked down to see Steve. He was unconsciously holding onto Celina’s shoulders. He had bruises and cuts littering his face and hands, and he was trembling violently. His eyes were closed, his whole form reading pain and weakness.

Irona gave a series of squeaks and creaks, asking where she had found the miner. Celina pursed her lips and answered. “I… I found him out in the middle of the forest. He… he’s heavily wounded and had a sword through his chest, pinning him to an oak tree.”

More creaks and clicks came from Irona.

Celina felt herself shudder. “He… he was attacked by Herobrine.”

Irona let a quiet gasp escape her lips, eyes going wide. She didn’t  _ want  _ to believe that the fabled being had attacked the miner, but there was no other logical explanation. Nothing else she thought of made sense.

“Queen Celina! Thank MinecraftChick you’re alright!” Matthew said as he came running up the path behind Irona. He stopped next to the golem, a frown on his face when he saw Steve.

“Matthew,” Celina questioned. “I thought you were on patrol with the others.”

“I was, but then I saw Lady Irona standing in front of the castle with great distress on her face.” He tilted his head and gestured to the miner. “What happened to Miner Steve?”

“He… he was… he was attacked by Herobrine,” Celina replied with tears forming in her eyes.

A gasp escaped Matthew’s lips. “He--Herobrine? But… but I thought he was--just a myth!”

A shake of the queen’s head was given. “He’s no myth, Matthew. He’s been haunting and trying to kill Steve for years. I… I heard Steve scream earlier, so I went out to find him. He had been pinned to a tree with a sword in his chest by Herobrine. I was able to pull the sword out and give him one of my Regen-Healing potions… but… guys, he was in so much pain…” 

Celina shuddered at remembering Steve’s cries and whimpers, and his shaking as he held onto her hand. “He cried out and held onto me. The pain was too much for him once the effects of my potion wore off. He passed out on the way here.” She sighed softly. “Steve needs a place to rest, bandages, and some more potions. I’ve done all I can, but we need to get him inside.”

Irona and Matthew nodded. The knight responded with, “Don’t worry, Your Majesty, I’ll get some of the others knights to patrol outside the castle with me. We’ll protect the doors to keep you and Miner Steve safe.”

“Okay, thank you, Matthew.” Celina watched him nod before heading down the path leading into the town square. She then looked up to Irona. “Irona… can you hold Steve? Just until I get a bed set up and some bandages for him?”

The lady golem tensed a bit. Steve looked so fragile. He was still shaking and his breaths indicated how hard he was trying to cling to life. She was afraid of hurting him with her strength. However, she could see the pleading in the queen’s eyes. She sighed, before holding her arms out and taking the miner. She cradled him close to her chest, like a mother would her child.

Celina watched Irona for a moment, before nodding to her. “I’m gonna set up a bed for him and get some of my supplies. When I call you in, bring him inside.”

Irona nodded, watching the queen move up the steps to the castle and through the double doors. She then looked down to Steve, watching his movements, making sure he was still breathing. The golem couldn’t even begin to imagine all the pain the miner had just been through. He looked so weary and tears still clung to his cheeks.

Out of curiosity, she carefully moved the miner so she was cradling him with one arm, moving her other hand up to move the cloak a bit. Her eyes widened at seeing the mess of wounds that littered his torso. They were all very deep cuts, but the one that made her cringe was the large wound on Steve’s chest. It was very,  _ very _ bloody, and she could tell that it opened on his back. 

Irona heard the miner whimper, so she wrapped him with the cloak and held him close again. He had probably started to get cold with his wounds exposed to the cool night air again.

“Irona! Bring him in!”

Irona heard the queen call for her. She took one more look down at Steve, before making her way to the steps and moving inside the doors.

*****

Steve couldn’t see anything, there was no more pain, no more fear, just a deep, soothing black that encased him in safety. There was nothing wrong here, there was no fear of Herobrine here. He didn’t want to leave the darkness, just being able to stay here a while longer would be nice.

“Steve? Stevie? Are you awake?”

A small groan escaped Steve’s lips as a voice stirred him from his rest. The black began to fade and pain began to flood his form. He could see colors and shapes coming into view, the black fading in small spots. He blinked to get the blurriness to go away, and when it did, he saw a gray stone-brick wall in front of him. It was lined with chests, bookcases, and flowers sitting in flower pots on colorful blocks. There were also magenta and blue banners hanging from the wall. The place he was in was very decorated.

A small movement came from his left, and Steve managed to move his eyes to see a young girl in bright clothing sitting next to him. He took a moment to look at her with his half closed eyes, before speaking up to her. “Ce… Celina? Is that you?”

Celina sighed in relief as she took her crown and put it back on her head. She had set up the bed and all her supplies for the miner when Irona brought him in, then had him laid on the bed and tucked in. She had then treated as many of her wounds as she could, pouring some of her potions into and wrapping up all but one on his arm and the chest wound. 

The queen then waited, sitting by Steve’s side to make sure he was still breathing and seeing if he would wake up. She had almost feared he wouldn’t, and she had even cried as she waited, wiping her eyes only when the miner began to stir in his sleep.

Celina spoke, “Thank Jeb. I was afraid you weren’t going to wake up. I didn’t know what else to do but wait for you to wake up.”

Steve blinked as he looked at her, before slowly wiggling his fingers and curling his hands to see if he had any feeling in them. He then tried to push himself up with his arms when he realized he could feel them. He grunted and propped himself up, asking, “Where--where… am I? I don’t… remember--”

That was when a sharp twinge of agony ran through the miner’s chest and arms. “OW! OW, OW, OW!” He shouted and closed his eyes tightly, bowing his head. “Ahhh! Everything hurts!”

Celina frowned, before taking her hands and carefully pushed him to lay back down on the mattress she had set up for him. She then grabbed the ends of the blanket and pulled it up to his chest. “Easy, Steve,” she told him. “I know you’re hurting, just lay down so you don’t make your wounds worse.”

Steve nodded and took deep breaths to try and alleviate the pain in his chest. He tried to himself from crying out as his hands lightly clutched onto the sheets. It was only then he realized he was lying on a soft mattress with a thick red blanket over him. A few fluffy pillows were propping up his head, he noticed. Steve let out a little sigh and looked back over to Celina, looking into her big gray eyes. “Celina… what--what happened? I’m… I’m not dead?”

The question broke the queen’s heart. Steve was in so much pain that he thought he was dead? She shook her head. “No, Steve. You’re alive. Thank goodness you are. I was terrified that you weren’t going to make it out alive.” 

Celina looked over his face, seeing tears rolling from his eyes again as he tried to keep them open. “I set up a bed for you here in the castle and had Irona bring you in. I made some more potions and used them on you. I’ve patched most of your wounds up, but I still need to get one on your arm and the big one on your chest.” She pulled a roll of cyan bandages from her inventory, unraveling a bit of the roll. “I’m gonna have to use more of the potion on your arm and your chest wound.”


	12. Touch of a Healer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I have a new chapter today!  
> I was SO excited to write this one and I'm so happy to get it out!  
> Steve and Celina have a little more talking with each other in this one... and we'll see a certain someone in the end!  
> Enjoy!

A small creaking suddenly caught Celina’s attention, she looked up to see Irona at one of the doors leading out of the side of the Throne Room. She had three bottles in her hand as she peeked in the doorway. “Oh, Irona,” Celina spoke. “Good, you got the rest of the potions. Bring them here, please.”

Irona nodded and made her way to the miner’s side, looking down at him. She gave him a tiny wave, seeing how he still looked so tired and weak. 

Steve smiled softly. “Oh… hi, Irona. How are… are you?”

She let a few creaks come from her lips.

The miner nodded. “That’s good.”

Irona let out a soundless giggle, before handing one of the bottle to Celina.

“Thank you, Irona,” the queen said, popping the cork on the concoction. She looked down at her friend who was eyeing the bottle with great fear. Despite his half-closed eyes, she knew he was still very much afraid of the potion and its effects. Celina let out a tiny sigh. “Steve, can you hold out your arm for me,” she asked.

Feeling himself shaking, Steve slowly moved an arm out from under the blanket and held it out to her. “Celina,” he asked. “Is it… will it hurt?”

The girl looked down at him, seeing such an innocent expression on his face. It broke her heart that she would have to hurt him again. She nodded. “I’ll be honest, Steven: it’ll definitely hurt. But it’s the only way your wounds will start to heal without you bleeding out.” She then poured some of the potion into the cut.

Steve felt a sharp pain run up and through his arm, seeming to come back to his chest and making his other injuries throb. He bit his lip hard, trying to stifle his whimpers. It hurt so bad, but he knew he just had to stick it out until the anesthetic kicked in.

Celina pursed her lips as she watched the miner. “I’m sorry, Steve,” she apologized. She then took the bandages back into her hand and began to unravel them. “Here, while that’s working, let’s wrap that wound.” 

Steve nodded and Celina carefully placed the end on his arms, slowly working around his forearm and wrist. There was silence between the two of them for a moment, before Steve’s violet eyes moved up to the queen’s face. “Hey, Celina?”

She stopped, looking down to her figurative brother. “Yes, Steve?”

“How did you... know I was--out there?”

Celina blinked, before continuing to wrap his arm. “Well,” she started. “I was brewing some potions with Irona and everything was quiet. We suddenly heard a scream come from the forest. It was loud and sounded so pained and scared. I started thinking and realized that it could have been you. I remembered my dream and the torch, and what you said this morning to me. I figured  _ He _ must have attacked you, so Irona got Maximus and I headed off. After that, I just followed the sound of your voice. I didn’t realize it was you though… not until I found you.”

She finished with Steve’s arm and tucked the bandages, before looking to his biggest wound. It had been cleaned by her, but it still looked very painful. She sighed once more and picked up the bottle with the rest of the potion. 

“Are you gonna… have to--pour… pour that into my chest?”

Steve’s words surprised her. But then again, it was the only wound Celina hadn’t wrapped yet. She could see the fear and agony on his face and in his violet orbs. It made her wince at the thought of taking the potion with so many wounds. She knew how strong it was, Celina knew this would hurt him. 

The queen nodded in response to his question. “Yeah… Steve, can you sit up?”

The miner pushed himself up with his arms, shaking the slightest bit.

Celina watched him, before asking, “Okay, ready?”

“I… I guess.”

With that, Celina poured the potion into his chest.

It felt like lightning was surging through Steve’s veins in a instant and it made his body jolt and shudder. Pain like a fire flooded into his system, worse than the sword being moved in his chest. He sealed his eyes shut and shouted out, “AHHHHH! OW, OW, OW! IT HURTS!”

Celina watched the miner writhe on the bed, seeing him trying not to move too much but still reacting to the agony his body was in. She cringed at seeing more tears fall down his face, instinctively reaching over and wiping them from his cheeks. This made Steve look at her in surprise despite the potion’s effects.

“My apologies, Steve,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. If I could, I would take away the pain for you.”

Steve heard her words as he closed his eyes, his teeth clenching. He took some deep breaths, trying to swallow down the need to cry out again. He could tell he was worrying her, and he needed to assure her he would be fine. “It’s… it’s… okay, Ce--Celina,” he managed to strain out. “I… I kn--know--you’re just… trying to… to help me.” He managed to let a smile form, making Celina blink in surprise. “I… I know… I wouldn’t have--survived… if it wasn’t for you. And I… I’m grateful for someone like you. You… you saved my life.”

Celina’s expression changed to a soft smile with gentle eyes, and she put a hand on her chest.

After a few more minutes, Steve let out a shaky sigh, his body shuddering, and the queen knew the pain-killing effects had kicked in. She began to wrap more bandages around his chest, being mindful of touching his wound.

As Steve watched her, Irona tapped on his shoulder and he slowly looked up at her. She had her head tilted to one side. “What is it, Irona,” he asked. She made a small series of clicks and squeaks, but Steve couldn’t quite understand her with his weakened state. He squinted. “What… Irona, I didn’t quite get that.”

Celina had understood and spoke. “She’s asking what happened out in the forest. I was going to ask you the same thing when I was done treating your wounds.”

“Oh…”

Celina snapped the bandages and tucked them in. She then took her crown off, something she only did in serious times or when she knew something would be touchy. She set it on her lap. “Steve… what did Herobrine do to you out there? Can… can you tell us?”

Steve looked down in thought. The silence that followed was very nerve-wracking, but Steve eventually nodded. “I… I suppose I could.”

So the miner, slowly but surely, told the tale of his fight against the Demi-God. He could hear every tiny gasp that escaped Celina’s lips and every creak from Irona doing the same. He gestured to his wounds as he talked and made small motions with his hands. His voice cracked greatly as he tried not to cry anymore when he mentioned his parents and what Herobrine had said about them. His voice became a little stronger as he spoke. 

When he finished, Steve could see Celina’s wide gray eyes looking down at him.

The queen put her hands to her chest and watched the miner as he took slow breaths. “Steve,” she spoke up, her voice soft from shock. “I… I had no idea… I didn’t realize how… how  _ cruel _ he truly could be to you. I knew he… didn’t like you, but… he really left you to die out there.”

The man nodded. “I know. And… I really thought I was going to.” His expression suddenly softened. “But… you came to my rescue, Celina. You heard me and found me in my time of need. You… you saved my life, and I thank you for that.”

Celina’s heart melted. She giggled. “Steve, you mean a lot to me. I wouldn’t have forgiven myself if I hadn’t saved you. You’re like a brother to me. I love you, man.”

Steve felt his smile get just a little wider. He saw her as his sister, as someone he loved like family, and he knew she felt the same. 

Celina noticed Irona gesturing to her. “What is it, Irona?”

She clicked again and saw the queen nod to her. 

“Irona’s right. Steve, you should get some rest. You need time for those wounds… and you look so weary. I’ll sleep down here if I need to. For now, you need to sleep, okay?”

Steve nodded and slowly moved to lie on his side, his head sinking a bit into the pillows. He used one hand to pull up the blanket and Celina tucked him in. She spoke softly to him, telling him, “Sleep well, Steve. I’ll be here if you need anything. Please rest, okay?”

“Okay.”

Celina stood back up, dusting off her skirt.

“Celina?”

She looked down to see Steve giving her the softest gaze through half-closed eyes. He then let his eyelids fall and whispered, “Thank you.” 

Celina smiled and blushed, watching the miner as he fell asleep. He was soon out, his body truly relaxing for the first time that night. She carefully wiped away a stray tear from his cheek. “No more tears, Steve. You’re safe here. I promise.” She leaned down, placing a gentle kiss to his forehead.

Irona watched her queen, before clicking again to ask her a question. 

Celina listened and tapped her chin. “I’m note entirely sure, Irona. I know how quick my potions work, but it also goes for the person’s body and will to survive. I think maybe… it’ll take a month or two for him to fully heal and be able to move with perfect vitality. Some of those wounds are pretty deep.”

The golem tilted her head, raising a hand and clicking again. Celina sighed. “To tell you the truth, Irona, I don’t know. He says that Herobrine had haunted him most of his life, and he  _ has _ beat him quite a few times. I’ve seen some of the bruises he’s had before from him, and one time, Steve even got a black eye from him.” She put a hand to her chin. “It’s strange that he would just suddenly decide to kill Steve out of the blue. But… we might not ever really know why he did it. For now, we just need to make sure he’s safe and healing.” She shrugged. “I don’t know what else we can really do other than that.”

Irona nodded, before tilting her head and pointing to the door she had come through.

“That would be wonderful. I’ll stay here with Steve.” Celina watched Irona nod again, before she walked out the door. When it clicked shut, the queen looked down at the miner. His breathing was soft and he looked so peaceful. She knelt down to his level. “Oh, Steve,” she started. “I don’t know why Herobrine would try to kill you like that, but I know one thing. And that’s that I’m going to protect you, no matter what.”

Celina carefully took one of Steve’s hands into her hands and held it close. “I’m gonna make you a promise, Steve. I promise that, one day, I’m gonna make Herobrine pay for what he did to you, and everything he’s done to you before. You don’t deserve such agony inflicted upon you, and I promise you: I’ll make him pay someday.”

As a sudden rainfall began to pour from the sky, lightning lit up the skies, followed by loud cracks of thunder. The queen kept her head bowed and carefully put the miner’s hand back under the blankets. She didn’t even notice the creak of the door to the Throne Room opening. A humanoid form stood there, arms crossed over their chest as they took a moment to flip their hair over their shoulder.

“Hello, Queen Celina.”

Celina’s eyes widened in a split second, her face falling to horror. She slowly stood up and felt her whole body begin to tremble. A dark, powerful aura now filled the air around her and made her shudder. She had heard that voice before. It was the voice of all her greatest fears. It was the voice of a being who struck terror into anyone who knew who he was.

But she also realized something.

It was the voice from her nightmare.

“No…” Celina whispered. She gulped, wanting so badly to run away, but only able to turn around. Before her stood a being who looked almost like the miner. However, he had no freckles, his build was much stronger, his hair was curly and long, and he had those snow white eyes that glowed brightly in the dark of the night. 

“Well, well, well,” his echoing voice came once more. “So, we finally come face to face, Queen Celina.”

Herobrine now stood before Celina, only blocks away with a devious smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOOOOO! Herobrine and Celina have finally met!!!  
> Hope you all are enjoying this story! :D Thank you all for the support you've given me so far!


	13. A Demi-God's Wrath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features some more interaction between Herobrine and Celina, and a certain lady golem as well...  
> Hope you enjoy!

There he was, the legendary being known as Herobrine, standing several blocks away from Celina. She couldn’t describe how heart-trending the fear she felt was. She couldn’t move as her breaths quickened. She was frozen. She couldn’t even tear her eyes away from the Demi-God as he stood in the doorway, his white eyes seeming to see through her and into her soul. Celina let out a tiny whimper as her body shook in terror.

Herobrine could sense and easily see the fear the queen was in. It was something he would definitely savor while he took her soul. He could also see the miner, sound asleep behind her on a bed. He let a dark chuckle escape his lips. “Well, young queen, it’s about time we came face-to-face. It’s been quite a while since you’ve been in my presence.”

At first, the queen didn’t know what he was talking about, but then it hit Celina: when she was a child, she had run into the Demi-God and had frozen in her place. When he tried to move, she had run back to her home and one of her sisters and told the village about her sighting. The whole village stayed guarded that night, but luckily, he didn’t strike.

And now, almost ten years later, here he was. Herobrine was here in her castle, in her home, with a devilish grin on his face. All Celina could think to say in her fear was a small whimper of, “He… Hero… Herobrine.”

Herobrine tilted his head. “Aww, what’s wrong, little girl,” he asked with fake sincerity. “Are you frightened? You certainly don’t look very composed.”

Celina shook her head. She didn’t even know how he got in here without her noticing. “I--I don’t… I don’t understand,” she tried to say, her voice wavering as she did. “My--my guards… they should have said… said something--”

“Oh, you mean those pathetic excuses for knights out there,” Herobrine responded, pointing behind him.

Celina was able to see behind him, and as a flash of lightning lit the outside, she let out a sharp gasp. A group of her knights were lying in a pile out in the rain, all with their eyes closed and mouths agape. She couldn’t see any of them breathing. “No… no, no, no!” she shouted. She furrowed her brows and looked back to the Nether Prince and clenched her fists. “What did you do to them, you monster!?”

“Fret not, young girl,” he answered. “I simply knocked them unconscious. I would rather have them alive to see the body of their queen when I take her soul.”

All of Celina’s anger faded in that moment, her hands unfurling and her expression falling again. She felt the fear taking over again. She wanted so badly to try and run out the door behind him, but it was as if the being was reading her mind. Herobrine snapped his fingers and the doors behind him slammed shut and locked. Celina could feel tears forming in her eyes. She was trapped. She was truly trapped with the most powerful and feared being in all of Minecraftia. And she couldn’t even muster the courage to say anything to him at that moment.

Herobrine began to walk towards her and her mind went into panic mode, alarm bells going off in her head. Celina held out her hands and began to cry out. “No, no! Lord Herobrine, please, leave me be! I--I don’t know if I did something wrong, but let me fix it! Please, I beg of you! Don’t--don’t take my soul! Please!”

Herobrine laughed again, holding out his hands to his sides. His crimson blades began to form from particles that appeared in his hands, the hilts forming first. He spoke as they did, his dark voice filled with confidence. “Oh, young queen. You think your begging will get you anywhere? You have escaped my wrath for long enough, mortal. You don’t stand a chance against me. You wouldn’t dare to face me yourself, so I had no choice but to find you. Your soul would be quite the trophy to have, and I will make sure you won’t get in the way of taking it from you. You’ve earned my attention by saving the miner, and you won’t get away this time.” 

He looked at his reflection in one of the dark colored blades, seeing an aura of white forming around it. He then moved his attention back to his victim. “Your soul is mine to take, and you will not stop me. No one can save you now, girl.”

A creak from behind Celina had her turning her head quickly, spinning on her heels. Irona was walking through the door with bottles of her potion in hand, seeming unaware of the Demi-God’s presence. “Irona!” the queen shouted.

Irona turned her head to see her queen, with tears streaming down her face and body trembling violently. She frowned and raised a brow in questioning.

“Irona!” Celina shouted again, taking her eyes off of the being. “You need to get out of here now! Run, girl, run! Run and don’t look back!”

Irona only furrowed her brows in confusion.

Celina shook her head, not even hearing the sounds of something teleporting behind her. “Irona, you ne--” She was cut off when a hand suddenly wrapped around her neck, cutting off her air supply in an instant. Celina was lifted a few inches off the ground and her hands flew to her neck to try and remove the constricting force.

Irona gasped and her eyes went wide. The queen’s face was turning red as the hand tightened around her jugular.

“Well, well, Ironannette. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen you.”

That was when the golem saw who was holding onto her queen. A being dressed in much the same manner the miner had been before Celina took his shirt to wash. His hair was long, his build was strong, and her red eyes made contact with those dreadful pupiless eyes of his. Rage instantly boiled inside the iron golem.  _ “ _ **_You_ ** _ ,” _ she thought.

Herobrine chuckled and held tighter to the queen, making her kick to try and get out of the hold. “You want your little queen back, Ironannette?” He smiled darkly, eyes lidded. “Come and get her.”

Irona suddenly took a few steps back, before running towards the Nether Prince, her steps loud and echoing in the room. Just before she could reach the man, she pulled a fist back and launched it forward, only to stumble and nearly fall when he teleported away.

Celina fell to the ground, going into a coughing fit as soon as she hit the carpets. She curled up and hacked loudly in an attempt to get air back into her lungs. Her chest hurt and she thought for sure her lungs had shriveled inside of her ribcage.

Irona looked down at her queen, carefully leaning down and pulling her to her feet.

Celina was still coughing, trying and trying to speak. She wanted to say something to Irona for saving her, but with tears on her face and still gasping for breath, she could only get out, “I..Ir--Irona…”

Irona patted her back and leaned down, staying there with concern on her face. It took a moment, but Celina was able to stop her coughing fit and take deep breaths to restore her airflow. The poor girl, she looked so tired now.

A small chuckle had Irona whipping her head towards the front door to see Herobrine standing there, arms folded across his chest and a wicked grin on his face. She let out a small snarl as she looked at him, feeling Celina turn beside her to face the being.

Celina could see a deep anger on Irona’s face, something she hadn’t seen before. It wasn’t just any rage though. It was the kind of rage someone only had when they were facing someone who had done something terrible to them. The expression the golem held almost read that she _ knew _ Herobrine and had faced him before.

The liquid metal in Irona’s veins seemed to boil. She could feel frustration rising with every second she looked at Herobrine. She hadn’t forgiven him for the tragedy he caused in her life, and she wasn’t about to start now.

“Irona, what are you doing,” Celina asked as she felt the golem tense up next to her. That was when the taller one began to walk towards Herobrine. The queen quickly grabbed her wrist. “Irona, no!”

Irona looked down at Celina and made a small squeak. She was going to make Herobrine pay for all the pain he had caused her, Steve, and now Queen Celina. But she didn’t know why the human was trying to stop her.

“Irona, no, don’t do this,” the girl begged. “He’s too strong, even for you, Irona! He’s 50 times stronger than either of us, you know that! He’ll destroy you if you try to fight him!” More tears began to run down her cheeks. She loved Irona, loved her like a sister, and she wouldn’t forgive herself if she just let the golem run into battle and die against this being.

She sniffled and held just a little tighter. “Irona, I… I don’t want to lose you. Please, don’t do this? Please…”

The look on Celina’s face made Irona’s expression fall. She bit her lip. She knew Celina cared about her, but she had to do this. For the sake of herself and her queen. Irona frowned and closed her eyes. She let out a heavy sigh and yanked her hand away. She then continued her movement towards Herobrine.

Celina wanted to crumble onto her knees, but could only sit there and cry now. She was going to lose her friend and she was too scared to even stop her.

Herobrine watched as the lady golem stood only blocks away from him, her fists clenched as she stood straight. She glared down at him with anger. He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, she was such a fool, just as she had been all those years ago. 

The Nether Prince looked into her red eyes, raising a hand. “Well, lady golem. How long has it been since we last saw each other? Was it… 500 years ago?”

Irona remained quiet, not even giving him a squeak or click to answer.

“Aww, what’s wrong, golem,” he drawled with fake sincerity. “Do you not wish to speak to me? Oh… wait, that’s right, you can’t, can you?”

_ “You’re the reason I can’t speak anymore, you monster,”  _ a voice rang in Herobrine’s head. And he knew whose mind it was coming from. It was amusing, really, being able to hear the thoughts of others. He cocked his head to one side and listened. 

_ “You’re the one who stole my voice away from me and made me mute.  _ **_You_ ** _ are the reason my voice can’t be heard and why I can only make sounds instead. You did this to me.”  _ Irona’s thoughts rang out to only her and the only person who could read minds. 

“Well, I did steal your voice, that much is true.” Herobrine held his hand up to look down at his nails. “But you were the one who tried to protect that little wench.”

_ “She was not a wench!”  _ Irona shouted in her head.  _ “She was an innocent little princess who lost her parents when she was young! She had to rule the whole kingdom by herself, and I was the only one she could turn to when she needed someone there for her!”  _ She pointed a finger accusingly at the Demi-God.  _ “You were the one who took her life when she had done  _ **_nothing_ ** _ wrong! She didn’t deserve that, and I promised myself I would make you pay someday!” _

Herobrine laughed aloud, finding her anger rather amusing. The lady golem knew how strong he was, knew how much punishment defiance against him would earn her. But yet, she still tried to stand up to his wrath.

She was a fool, and he would prove that to her here and now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh, Irona! You're in trouble now!  
> I hope you all enjoyed that chapter, it was lots of fun to write!


	14. A Queen's Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I have the next chapter for you all today!  
> I really had fun writing this one, it's one of my favorite chapters!  
> I hope you all enjoy!

Herobrine chuckled and put hands on his hips. “Well then? If you’re going to make me pay…” He put his hand up, making a “come hither” motion with his finger. “Bring it on.”

Irona felt something inside of her snap and she growled soundlessly. She was so infuriated with how cocky this being was. She didn’t  _ care _ how strong he was! He was going to pay for what he had done to her and her former master!

Irona took a few steps back, before running towards Herobrine and throwing her fist out. However, before her hand could connect with his face, the Nether Prince grabbed onto her wrist. She gasped in surprise, before her hand was let go. Suddenly, Herobrine floated a few inches in their air, reeled back, and slammed both hands into the golem’s chest.

Irona felt a tremendous force against her and she felt herself flying up and away from the being.

Celina could only watch as Irona flew towards the back wall of the castle. “IRONA!” she shouted.

The lady golem heard her name, but couldn’t do anything as her back collided with the stone. Several cracks filled her ears as she hit it, she stuck for a second before sliding down and finding herself sitting on the floor. She closed her eyes tightly as her head pounded. Oh, Jeb, he actually hit her  _ really _ hard. White dots danced along the edges of her vision. She tried to raise a hand up, but found she couldn’t even move her fingers from the agony she was in. 

Irona managed to open her eyes long enough to see Herobrine waving to her in a manner that could only mean he was teasing her. “Have a good rest, Ironannette,” he said, mocking in his tone.

Irona clenched her teeth and tried to glare at him, before her pained body lulled her into unconsciousness.

*****

“No! Irona, no! No!” Celina cried out, holding her hand out as she watched the iron golem pass out. She felt anger at herself coming forth, she was such a coward that she had just let her friend nearly die at the hands of Herobrine. She should have done something, she should have stopped Irona. But no, she had to be scared and stand in her place like a Llama in glowstone lights. Celina blamed herself and her fear of Herobrine.

Speaking of the Demi-God…

A small chuckle came from behind her and she turned on her heels to see Herobrine looking in her direction once more. “Well,” he spoke, his voice dark and full of malice. “Now that she’s out of the way…” He began to take steps towards the queen again, his sword back in his hands.

Celina gasped and held up her hands, shaking her head in denial. “No, no, Lord Herobrine, please! Please, don’t do this! I beg of you, don’t take my soul! I--I’ll do whatever you want, please, just don’t do this!”

Herobrine laughed at her, shaking his head a bit. “Do you really think your begging will save you, girl? You’ve escaped my wrath long enough. It’s time to take what rightfully belongs to me.”

“But--but…” Celina couldn’t even muster up a few words to him as tears ran down her face. She was so scared, she didn’t want to die. This wasn’t at all how she pictured her death. She had hoped she would peacefully pass one day at the end of her life, not like this. Not with her soul being taken with force by Herobrine.

The Lord of the Mobs suddenly held up one of his swords. “However, I have something I need to take care of first.”

Celina raised a brow. “What… what do you--” And that was when the back of her legs bumped into something. She looked down and behind her and there was Steve, lying down on his bed, sleeping peacefully. His chest gently rose and fell with his breathing, and a content smile was on his face.

“Steve,” Celina whispered. She had completely forgotten about the miner in her fear. She turned her head forward when another laugh came from in front of her. 

“Now, girl, unless you want to take Steven’s place as my first kill of the night, I suggest you step aside and let me finish what I started with him.”

“Wait… you…” That was when it hit Celina: Herobrine didn’t just come for her. He had come to take Steve’s soul. She felt a sense of something she couldn’t quite describe slowly begin to replace the fear in her heart. “You came to take Steve’s soul… you didn’t just come for me. You came for him too.” She suddenly furrowed her brows as the being only nodded.

“Smart girl. Now… how about you stand down so I may claim my prize, hmmm?”

Her mouth was moving faster than her mind as she felt anger beginning to rise, mixing with her fear. “No.”

Herobrine stopped in his tracks, surprised. He lowered his blades. “What was that?”

“No… no, no! I’m not going to let you hurt Steve!” Rage flooded into Celina’s system. She didn’t care who this guy thought he was, she wasn’t going to let anyone--and she meant  **_anyone_ ** \-- hurt her figurative brother. He meant the world to the queen, and no one would hurt him. Besides, she made a promise.

She curled her hands into fists and put a foot forward. “I’m not letting you hurt my friend! He means more to me than any ore, and I promised him that you would pay for what you did. You’re not going to lay a hand on him!” Celina pulled her sword from her belt and held it up, the purple glow seeming to engulf the cyan blade. “You try to touch Steve, and I will not hesitate to fight you!”

Herobrine was quite surprised, but kept his expression to a devious one. It had been a long time since someone besides the miner had stood up to him. But he knew how that usually went for that human who did so. They often said that they could match his power, but he could tell that this girl knew exactly how strong he was.

The Nether Prince chuckled. “You’re really trying to face me, mortal? You know how strong I am, I know that much about you.”

“I don’t give a damn how strong you are!” The queen shouted back. “You’re threatening someone I love, someone I care about. And I won’t be afraid of you! You’re not laying a finger on him!”

“That’s what you think…” The Demi-God suddenly vanished from his spot blocks away, disappearing in a purple dust cloud like an Ender.

Celina’s eyes went wide. Oh, no, he had teleporting powers. “What the--”

The being suddenly appeared right in front of her and she yelped in surprise. He grabbed her by one of the ribbons on her shirt and pulled her so their faces were only inches away.

“You’re quite the foolish one, whelp,” he spoke in a dark yet quiet voice. “You think you can stand up to me?”

Celina blinked, before narrowing her eyes and letting out a grunt as she tried to pull away. “Let go of me, you bastard! Unhand me right now!”

“As you wish,” Herobrine answered back. He suddenly lifted her into the air, turned on his heels, and slung her high above his head, letting her fly up and away from him.

“AHHHHHH!” Celina shouted in fear as she closed her eyes. She felt herself fall, then her back collided with a hard stone and diorite floor. Her sword flew from her hand and her crown from her head as she smacked into the floor.

Celina managed to push herself up after a small moment of dizziness, trying her best not to pass out in her state. She lifted a hand and rubbed her now aching temples. “Ugh… Jeb almighty, he’s strong…” The queen managed to open her eyes halfway and look up, before her eyes snapped open all the way and she held out a hand. She let out a gasp. “Steve!”

Herobrine now stood before the bed where the miner lay, looking peaceful. He was so blissfully unaware of what was going to happen to him now, and he’d soon be gagging on his own blood. “Oh, Steven,” the being mused. “Your friend is quite the fool. She thinks she can protect you, doesn’t she? But what a foolish mindset to have.”

That was when Celina pushed herself up from the ground and ran towards the being.

“How unaware you are of your end, miner,” Herobrine said. “Well, it’s been fun haunting you. But this is your end.”

“NOOOOOOOO!”

Herobrine raised his head up from the shout and the sound of nearing steps. What was that?

Celina ran as fast as her legs would carry her and she stopped right behind the Nether Prince. She then began to pound her fists into his back, moving them as fast as she could while letting out a growl. “Don’t you touch him! Get away from him, you monster! I’m going to protect him, so screw off!”

Celina managed to stop when the being turned around to look at her with a devilish grin. She raised a brow, before closing her eyes as she was pushed with both hands by Herobrine. She fell to the ground and quickly pushed herself up with her arms. She shot a dark glare at the Demi-God.

“You’re quite brave, girl,” Herobrine told her with such ridicule in his voice. “Now, stay out of the way, and I may spare you for a little longer.” He turned back towards Steve with one of his swords ready to strike down.

Within a split second, Celina remembered something she could use against him. She pulled off one of her long white gloves, revealing nails that could turn to claws. How she could do this, she didn’t know, but she never questioned it. Right now, she could save the miner’s life with this.

“Say goodbye, miner,” Herobrine said as he raised his sword just a little higher.

“RRAAAAHHHHH!” came Celina’s shout as she wrapped an arm around Herobrine’s neck. 

The Lord of the Mobs was actually caught off guard from the girl’s arm and stumbled back as she pulled on him. She felt her other hand on his cheek and he tried to turn his head to see her. “What are you doing?! Get your hands off--”

Celina suddenly extended her nails into their sharp form and dragged them across his cheek, feeling the skin tear under her fingers. The being hissed in pain and as she pulled away, he put a hand to his face. The girl narrowed her eyes at him and frowned deeply. “That’s what you get for trying to hurt Steve, you no-good--”

The Demi-God turned on his heels and the queen actually jumped from the sheer anger on his face. A drop of blood fell from one of the claw marks on his face, purple showing through the tears. Suddenly, white light filled the wounds, glowing softly. Celina watched in horror as the wounds closed themselves in seconds and were replaced with flawless skin. “...Oh, my gods,” she muttered in shock. She had only heard of the Gods having such an ability to heal that fast. Oh, dear, she was in trouble now.

Herobrine suddenly lunged forward and punched the girl square in the mouth, sending her toppling to the ground. She pushed herself up again, coughing blood out and feeling it dribble down from the corner of her lips. She managed to give him another sneer, despite her now shaking body.

Herobrine growled deeply at the girl and pointed a blade at her. “You’re an idiot, whelp! You obviously don’t know how much you’re testing my patience! Now, either stand down, or I will end you here and now!” 

She saw him turn back to Steve, so she thought quickly.  _ “Think, Celina, think! He’s super strong, he’s got crazy healing powers, he’s hellbent on killing you if you get in his way. Think ,what else do you know about him? He’s the Nether Prince, Lord of the Mobs, brother of Iraura... what can I do to… wait…”  _ A redstone torch went off in her head. There was one thing she had heard about this being that she might be able to use to her advantage.

Herobrine sighed in aggravation before looking at the mortal man. The Demi-God had waited for this moment for so long, and now it was in his grasp, all he had to do was bring his sword up and--

“Herobrine.”

His eye twitched and his teeth clenched in an instant. That stupid little girl again.

Herobrine swiftly spun around and saw her standing, looking at his with a frown and knitted brows. She seemed to be unafraid of him. “What?!” he shouted at her. “What the hell do you want, girl?!”

Celina straightened up and tried to stand with the stance of a soldier. She had one shot at this and it could very well get her killed, but she had to try. “Herobrine,” she started in a strong voice. “I know you want to claim Steve’s soul as yours. But I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. I don’t know what he did to incur your wrath, but I do know the tales about you. You are the Nether Prince, Lord of the Mobs, and I know you are an Aetherian Warrior. I know that you never back down from a challenge of battle.”

Herobrine raised a brow, then furrowed his brows. “You would be correct, mortal. You have clearly done your research on me. What exactly are you getting at with these little facts about me?”

Celina was shaking ever so slightly with what she said next. “If you truly are an Aetherian Warrior, as the legends tell of you… I challenge you to hand-to-hand combat for the price of Steve’s life. I will fight you if I must to save him, and I understand what will happen if I lose.” 

Herobrine raised a brow. The human girl was still shaking, still in some fear, but her expression was determined. He was surprised, no mortal had ever willingly challenged him like this. He made a small sneer. “You are foolish, girl. I have something more important to take care of than fighting a child like you.” He turned back to Steve.

Celina huffed and clenched her fists. “Herobrine, I am challenging you to a fight. I know Aetherian Warriors never back down from a challenge. That is… unless you’re  **_afraid_ ** of me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OooooooooOOOOOOO! Celina said the one thing you never say to Herobrine!!!  
> But will he accept her challenge? Or will he just slay her where she stands?  
> Find out soon!


	15. How We Battle Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I have a new chapter today!  
> We're at the beginning of one of my favorite parts in this chapter, and I LOVE this part of the story! I hope you guy enjoy! I love writing fight scenes like this!  
> Let's see what kind of fight Celina can put up!

Those words instantly had Herobrine freezing in place, eyes looking straight ahead as his brows knitted. His teeth slowly clenched and he tightened his grip on his swords. He slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder, feeling his blood beginning to boil from rage. “...What did you just say to me?”

“You heard me,” the queen boldly stated. “You’re afraid of me. An Aetherian Warrior never backs down from a battle, so if you do so, that can only mean you’re afraid of me.”

Herobrine fully turned to face her and sneered darkly. “You think I’m afraid of  _ you _ , girl?! I could break your neck and stomp you into this stone floor right now if I wished to! You obviously don’t know what kind of strength I can unleash on you!”

The queen took a deep breath and kept her unyielding glare. She had to keep a brave face, she had to, not only for her sake, but the sake of her figurative brother, and perhaps her whole kingdom. For the sake of everyone she knew, she had to stop this monster’s rampage.

The human girl knitted her brows just a bit more. “If you’re not afraid of me, you’ll accept my challenge, Lord Herobrine. You’ve been known to show flawless skill in battle, and if you really want to take Steve’s soul, you’ll have to go through me.”

The Demi-God teleported to stand only feet away from the girl. “And just what happened to all your fear, mortal? You were begging for your life only moments ago. What happened to that?”

Celina pursed her lips together. Although a bit of fear still rested in the back of her mind, she knew she couldn’t show it now. She had to push past it if she wanted to save her friend. So Celina pushed down every ounce of terror in her mind. Besides, she came from a family of Overworld Warriors, she couldn’t back down now.

Pushing those thoughts aside, the queen frowned. “You truly are the embodiment of fear in Minecraftia, Herobrine. But I know what I’m fighting for.  _ Who _ I’m fighting for. And I won’t let you take that away from me.” She looked over his shoulder.

Herobrine caught her look and turned his head over his shoulder. The miner still lay in his bed, his features peaceful and soft. “That miner,” the being questioned. “You’re really challenging me over that weak excuse for a Minecrafter?”

“He’s not weak!” Celina barked. “He’s like a brother to me, and I promised him that I would always protect him! I’m not just going to stand by while you take his soul! I won’t be afraid anymore if it means I can save him!”

Herobrine was a little surprised. All the humans he had ever slain or haunted were greedy, liars and traitors to their own kind. They all deserved punishment for their ways, but something about this girl was different. Something about her valor was… familiar. It was also annoying, but he admired her courage to fight for someone else and not her own life. It showed that, even if she was human, she had a sense of honor.

Unlike most humans…

Filing that thought into the back of his mind, Herobrine shook his head and put on his signature grin. He then looked at the girl and chuckled darkly. “You have some nerve to challenge me, human. But you’ve got courage. I admire that. It’s been quite some time since someone actually put up a fight against me. I’ve been aching for a good battle for many years now.” He held up his swords, letting them crumble and fade. “I will accept your challenge and engage in combat with you. But know this girl…”

Herobrine stood with the same stance as Celina, back straight with shoulders squared, as though two generals of opposing armies were staring each other down. He chuckled again. “Once I have you down and at my mercy,  _ not even Jeb will be able to save you _ .”

The Demi-God teleported once more and Celina raised a brow. Man, this guy really liked teleporting. She heard a noise to her left and she saw Herobrine standing near the opposite wall of the castle, an equal distance from her and the wall behind him. He put one hand behind his back and held up the other, a devious grin on his face. “So, what will the stipulations of this little battle be, human girl?”

Celina turned to face him with her hands balled and a serious expression. She knew what she was going to say, and yet, she was terrified to say it. She knew it was the only way he’d accept this. She took a deep breath. “We will engage in hand-to-hand combat. We cannot use weapons like swords, only what strength we have and any powers we possess. I will fight you to the best of my abilities and expect you to honor this as well. If I win the battle, you must help me care for Steve and help in nursing him back to health.”

Herobrine chuckled. As if he would ever lose to her. “And when I win?”

Celina noticed his use of the word, “when” and not, “if.” His confidence was really starting to bug her. But, she had to remember that he was a Demi-God and had unmatched skills in battle. The queen sighed and closed her eyes. “If you win… I will allow you to take my soul with no struggle. I will not beg and let you claim it, so long as you spare the souls of Steve, the people of my kingdom, and my husband, Cenlar, when he returns. Should you win, my soul will belong to you.”

Herobrine’s eyes widened. No mortal had ever willingly given up their soul to him. And she was doing it for her people, the miner, and her spouse? How noble… but also,  _ how foolish.  _ She had some care for her people and those close to her, Herobrine had to admit that. He narrowed his eyes and his grin got a little wider. “I accept those terms, girl. But don’t get your hopes up. I’ll soon have you down on your knees and begging me to take your soul.” He then curled his hands into fists and got into a fighting stance.

Celina noticed this and did the same, taking a moment to crack her knuckles.

“Well, human,” Herobrine said to her from across the room. “Show me what you can do.”

Celina looked at him angrily, a sparkle of determination in her eyes, she was doing to beat this man at his own game. She’d probably come out with plenty of injuries, considering his strength. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that she was giving her people a chance to live. 

And so, the girl reeled back, ready to fight, before making a run towards the being. There was no going back now. She had to win. 

Even at the cost of her own life.

Celina sprinted towards the being and could see him reel back to do the same. The two began to run, run towards each other, before stopping before they could crash. Celina quickly threw her fist out but the being was quick to catch her wrist before she could make contact. He pulled her close by the wrist, before lifting his leg to kick her in the stomach. The queen cried out and stumbled back, before a punch landed on her cheek. She almost fell over as she backed away, holding her face with one hand and stomach with the other.

She grunted as she opened her eyes, her vision a little blurry. Celina was slightly dizzy from the punch, but tried to recover because she could see Herobrine running towards her again. She took a defensive stance and saw him quickly reel his hand back. To her own surprise, she quickly ducked into a crouch, one hand on the ground. How she managed to avoid his lightning reflexes was beyond her but she knew this could leave him open.

Herobrine’s eyes went wide when his punch failed to hit her and he pulled back. The girl was now on the ground and she swept a leg out to try and knock him over. However, the Demi-God jumped over it with grace .

“ _ Damn it!” _ Celina thought. The guy has seen her plan and now it had failed. She quickly moved back to her feet and stepped back as the man attempted to send another kick into her face. She took a step back before reeling her arm back to try and hit him again. This time, the queen aimed for his chest and almost connected.

Almost.

Celina miscalculated her punch and instead stumbled forward and nearly fell. Herobrine took the chance to grab a hold of her arms and practically throw her to the ground by her arm. Celina landed face first and groaned as she tried to push herself up with her arms. Blood was now dripping from the corner of her lips and she tried to spit it out. She blinked a couple of times, before her eyes snapped open.

He has disappeared.

“What the…” she whispered. “Where did he--”

_ CRACK! _

“AHHHHHHHHHH!” Celina screamed at the top of her lungs as two boots came down upon her back with great force, making her back pop and making a loud sound that she could have sword was bones, though it sounded also like stone breaking.

Herobrine looked down as the human screamed, his dark smile widening. He took a foot and dug the heel of his boot into her back.

Celina could feel that and she felt rage bubbling up alongside the pain in her back. She looked over her shoulder at him, before snarling out, “GEEETTT OOFFFF OF MEEEEEE!”

“Beg all you want girl,” Herobrine’s mocking tone came. “You’re just--”

She wasn’t even going to let him finish that sentence. Celina quickly pulled off her other glove and reached back, letting her claws come out and digging them through his jeans and into his ankle. She dragged them and let the skin tear under them

Herobrine felt a sudden stinging sensation on his ankle. Pain was a very unfamiliar thing to him, it rarely ever happened and he was surprised that he felt it now. His body flinched as the girl’s nails left his ankle, and he instinctively lifted his leg up. He hissed. “Get your filthy hands off--”

Now was her chance. Celina pushed up with her arms as hard as she could, before moving up onto her knees and making the man topple over.

Herobrine flailed his arms in surprise when she managed to knock him over and he fell to his knees. He quickly turned his head to look at the human. “How did you--”

The queen cut him off by letting out a shout and grabbing two handfuls of his hair and pulling on them. It was a dirty move she wouldn’t have used under any other circumstances, but this guy wasn’t playing fair. 

Herobrine growled from pain as she pulled, and he managed to put a fist back to slam it into her chest.

Celina immediately felt the wind leave her lungs and she tried to scoot away as the Demi-God got up. She managed to get her breath back and saw him raise his foot . The queen immediately forced herself into a roll, hearing the crack of stone behind her as she pushed herself up from the floor and stood.

Herobrine growled and threw his hand out again and the queen managed to dive out of the way, rolling again and moving to stand once more. “Hold still, you damn brat!” he shouted in rage.

Celina saw a chance, so she ran towards Herobrine with her arms out. Rather than tackling him like he thought she would, she ran behind him, turned, and wrapped her arms around his torso.

Herobrine suddenly felt himself being lifted up into the air a few inches and how she was able to lift him was baffling. He shouted, “Get your hands off of me, whelp!”

Celina snarled and turned on her heels, taking the being with her and throwing him into the air. She shouted as she did, expecting him to fall to the ground as she had when he had thrown her.

Herobrine opened his eyes and quickly held up a hand, summoning something and making the human’s eyes go wide. He suddenly stood upon a cloud with the same colors as the purple and violet in a Nether Portal.

Celina gasped aloud. “He can float?!”

It was then that Herobrine jumped down. This girl has some fight in her, and he wasn’t going to just let her slip out of his grasp like that. He was going to fight her, and it would be the last thing she would do!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOOOOOO! Things are heating up!  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	16. The True Victor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys! Welcome back to "The Broken Flame!"  
> This one is one of my absolute favorites and I LOVE how it came out!  
> Enjoy!

Celina watched in horror as Herobrine jumped down from the Nether cloud, landing a hard kick to her face and making her stumble back and fall to the floor. She cried out and held her face as she sat there, until a hand pulled her back up, making her yelp.

Herobrine pulled the girl up by the collar of her shirt and held onto tightly. He snarled and pulled his hand back, punching her in the face. “You insignificant little whelp!” he shouted to her. The Lord of the Mobs then kicked her in the stomach and made her cry out again. “You really think you could best me in combat?!” 

A loud slap was heard as he smacked her, making blood run down from the corner of her mouth and causing the queen to tremble in pain. Celina found the bright eyes and deep scowl of the Demi-God almost making her regret her decision. She was in Herobrine’s grasp with no escape, no way to free herself and now, she was really going to get beat to death by the Demi-God.

The being growled again and looked at the human with great fury. “You really thought you could battle with me?! I could just snap your neck and throw you through the stone walls of your castle right now! Is that what you want me to do?!”

Celina shook her head and whimpered out, “N--no…”

Herobrine closed his eyes for only a moment as he responded with, “Than just give--” Then, he opened them. “...Up?”

The human girl he had been fighting moments ago was no longer in his grasp, but instead, a different woman. 

She had tanned skin, gray eyes, and long black hair, down to her feet. She was wearing a magenta shirt with purple sleeves and yellow ribbons across the chest, a violet skirt that revealed one leg, pink ballet flats, white gloves, and a diamond hanging from a necklace. She was bruised and battered, with a large stab wound in her chest.

Herobrine’s expression fell, his eyes softening with sadness. Wait, this isn't right. She wasn’t supposed to be here. “Wha…” he whispered, not even realizing the woman was reeling a hand back. “But… but you’re supposed to be--”

A fist landed on his face and he let the human go, pulling back and closing his eyes with hands on his face. He quickly reopened his eyes and looked to find the human queen in a defensive stance once more, glaring at him with those gray eyes. Herobrine blinked a few times, before baring his teeth and snarling. “You’re going to pay for that, girl!” he shouted. He pulled back and attempted to roundhouse kick her…

Only for the human to do the same thing, causing their legs to collide. Both of them pulled back, Celina’s face filled with determination, Herobrine’s with rage. She attempted again to punch him, only for the Demi-God to grab her wrist and spin around, just as he had done with Steve in the forest. Celina suddenly found herself flying backwards, past Steve and towards the nearest window.

The sound of glass shattering filled her ears when she impacted the glass, and the queen felt stinging pains all over her arms and legs as it happened, hearing cloth tear. She then hit the ground, landing flat on her back as raindrops plopped against her skin and soaked into her clothes. Celina managed to push herself up on wobbling arms and coughed loudly. 

“Da--Damn it,” she thought aloud. “He’s… he’s too freakin’ strong. Why does he have to be so strong? There’s no way I can do this. What did I get myself into?”

The girl managed to get onto her feet with shaking knees, doing everything in her power to keep from falling down and passing out in the grass. If she did that now, it would be the end of her. “I’ve… I’ve got to get away,” she whispered, hoping the man wouldn’t hear her. “Maybe I can get help. I can’t do this alone. I just… I can’t--”

“Going somewhere, Your Highness?”

Celina’s eyes went wide, she turned to look at the window frame and saw Herobrine had stepped through it and was now walking towards her with slow, deliberate steps. She tried to back away in an attempt to get away, even though she knew there was no escape now.

Herobrine chuckled darkly. How the tables had turned for this human, how foolish she was. “You really thought you could take a stand against me, whelp,” he asked, seeing the fear evident on her face. “You really made a fatal mistake. It may just be the worst mistake in your pitiful life.”

Celina gasped when he suddenly disappeared, only to reappear in front of her and slamming a fist into her face. She toppled to the ground, only to be grabbed by the neck, a hand wrapping around her jugular. She couldn’t move, all her energy was gone now. It had all been sapped away and now, she was at Herobrine’s mercy. The queen could only look at him with watery eyes filled with so much dread.

Herobrine chuckled again. The look on her face was  _ priceless _ , she was down and now, he could take her soul and display a well earned trophy. “Look at you, girl,” he mused. “You really thought you would emerge the victor? You’re so foolish. You’re so naive. You were doomed from the start. Say goodbye to your kingdom, because your soul is mine now.”

Celina bowed her head in defeat.  _ “No…”  _ she thought.  _ “I failed. I tried so hard to win, but look where that got me. I lost. I’m sorry, Irona. I’m sorry, everyone.”  _ Tears began to roll down her face.  _ “I’m sorry, Steve. Forgive me. I tried, I really did. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. I promised, and now I’ve broken my promise. Forgive me, Steve.” _

As she let herself go limp in Herobrine’s grasp, a memory took her mind, the memory of her first meeting with Steve.

*****

_ Four Years Ago… _

*****

A young girl sat atop a stone block against an unfinished structure made of the same block. She had tanned skin and dark hair with gray eyes. She wore a magenta shirt, indigo shorts, pink mary-janes, a yellow belt, and a pink bow in her hair.

The girl had her hands over her mouth and her eyes sealed shut. Tears streamed down the sides of her face as her body shook with her sobs.

Celina couldn’t seem to control herself. She couldn’t stop her cries. She was overcome with the reality of her situation, and didn’t even hear the sounds of another’s footsteps as they approached her.

“Hey, are you alright?”

Celina’s eyes opened and she blinked away some of the droplets in them. She could see a young person in front of her, they didn’t look anymore than eighteen years old. They wore a cyan t-shirt, jeans, and big gray boots. They had short brown hair with bangs hanging down, violet eyes, and fair skin. Freckles dotted their cheeks. They carried an iron pickaxe in one hand.

Celina sniffled before shaking her head. She didn’t mean to cause any concern, she didn’t even see this person walk up to her. “So--sorry,” she spoke in a quiet voice. “I didn’t mean to worry anyone. I was just… thinking too hard.”

The person smiled softly. “No need to apologize,” they said. They got onto one knee to get to her level. “My name’s Steven Alfonce Mindrall. Everyone calls me Steve. I go by he and him. I live in a village about a mile to the South.”

The girl could see that this man was very genuine, and he seemed so sweet to just stop and check on her when he didn’t even know her. She smiled for this first time in a while. “I’m Celania Rose. I go by Celina. She and her.”

“Nice to meet you, Celina,” the man, now known to her as Steve, said with a hand held out. She took it and shook.

“Same to you,” she replied.

Steve beamed. This girl seemed so sweet, so young, she couldn’t have been any older than him. And she was out here all alone. Which brought him to another question. “Celina, why are you crying out here by yourself? You seemed really distressed. Is something wrong?”

Celina’s face fell and her eyes began to water again. She sniffled and held up a hand. “Well, my parents were killed just a few weeks ago. My siblings and I were asleep and I woke up and saw my mother and father get killed in a skeleton attack. I had to be the one to tell my brothers and sisters what happened. We… we decided to split and move out from our old home.”

Steve put a hand to his chest at seeing the pain and sadness on her features. “Oh, no… I’m sorry for your loss.”

She waved a hand. “No need to apologize, Steve.” Her voice began to stutter as she continued. “It’s--just… I’m only fourteen. I’ve ne--never been… on my own. I don’t… know--if--I can do this. I’m so scared. I feel so alone. I just…” Her breath caught in her throat as her whole body shook with grief. 

A gentle hand suddenly held one of hers and Celina looked up to see Steve with a loving grin on his face. She blinked in surprise as he started to talk.

“Celina, let me tell you something.” He tilted his head to one side. “I know things seem tough right now, but I want to give you some advice. Whenever I feel that way, I always remember an old motto my mother used to tell me. She used to tell me that when I felt like giving up, ‘Fight a good fight to the very end.’ No matter how bleak things seem, you’ve just gotta keep going.” He chuckled. “I’m sure your parents would want you to do the same, and I can promise you, if you keep fighting, you can get through anything.” He stood and helped the tiny girl to her feet.

Celina found a small smile crossing her face for the first time that day. Something about his words and tone were very reassuring and she found herself smiling with him. 

Steve used a hand to wipe the tears from her eyes and she giggled. “Thank you, Steve. That… that helps a lot. How can I repay you?”

Steve shook his head. “No need to, kid. Just remember…”

*****

“ _ Fight a good fight…” _

*****

Celina’s eyes snapped open, before she narrowed them and glared at the being holding her neck. “To the very end,” she whispered.

Herobrine grinned wickedly and began to speak. “Any last words, Your--”

“TO THE VERY END!” shouted the queen. She quickly reeled a hand back as adrenaline pumped into her veins and slammed it into Herobrine’s face, causing his head to fall back for a second. 

The Nether Prince looked at the girl with confusion on his face. He could hear her heart beginning to pick up its beat and her energy signature was getting stronger now. “What the hell,” he whispered. “How did you--”

That was when Celina managed to pick up a leg, pull it back and slam it into his chest, right in the middle of it with a shout.

“EEEERRRAAAHHHH!” A short shrill scream escaped Herobrine’s lips and he lost his grip on the human. He stumbled back with his arms around his chest. Deep agony was surging from his chest into his limbs and he couldn’t help but let out a hiss as he backed away. No human had ever managed to hit him there before and it hurt. It was a pain he was unfamiliar with and touching it made it worse.

Celina watched the man with furrowed brows and a deep frown, spitting blood from her mouth. She had done something to hurt him and this might just give her the chance she needed.

Herobrine felt something warm seep from under his shirt and he pulled his hands away to see splotches of purple blood on his palms. He felt something beginning to boil inside of him as he returned his gaze to the human. An eye twitched as he shook with rage. “You… little… no good…” He shook his head and suddenly screeched, “GLITCHED EXCUSE FOR A MINECRAFTIAN!” He then pulled an arm back.

Celina was ready this time, and she felt herself being pushed back when a hand suddenly slammed into her crossed arms. She barely managed to hold back the blow.

Herobrine’s frown deepened but he kept the surprise off his face. How the hell did she do that?! No human could block his punches, he was much faster than any mortal. How did she manage to do that? 

Celina suddenly reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him forward towards her. 

Herobrine’s eyes widened a bit and he exclaimed, “How did you--what are you doing?!”

Celina’s eyes were filled with anger, but not just that. They also held a determination in them and as she looked into the glowing blank ones of the powerful man, she didn’t let it fall. She then spoke to him. “If you ever threaten the people I love, trust me when I say these words: I will not be afraid of you anymore.”

“We’ll see about that!” The man then gave her an uppercut, causing her to grab her chin. Her teeth had practically slammed together when he did that, but it didn’t faze her for long. Celina quickly recovered with the adrenaline blocking out most of the pain. She threw a fist towards him again, and when he grabbed her wrist, she leaned down with a growl a bit into his arm.

The Demi-God snarled. She really had the  _ audacity  _ touch him with her hands and her mouth of all things? Pathetic! He quickly grabbed her by one of the ribbons on her short, picking her up and slinging her back towards the opening left by the broken window. Herobrine could hear the thud of her hitting the stone floor.

Herobrine chuckled darkly and closed his eyes as he strolled back to the window and climbed inside. This girl may have had that brief chance to fight him, but now she would pay dearly for what she had done. And there was no escape for her. He would take her soul, wake Steven up, and let him see the body of his friend, limp with a lack of life. She would be quite the trophy to have, wouldn’t she? The first mortal to try and take a stand against him in centuries.

“You might as well give up now, girl,” he spoke, still walking. “Your attempts to defeat me are nothing but a minor inconvenience to me. You will die in this battle, so just…” He then opened his eyes. And they went wide.

She was gone.

Herobrine could still hear her heartbeat loud in her chest, and sense her. “Where…”

Celina stared down at the back of the man, having scrambled to her feet and hid against the wall during his little monologue. Now was her chance.

Quick footfalls came from behind the Lord of the Mobs, but before he could turn, the queen held her arms out and slammed into the being with every ounce of strength she could. The two fell to the ground, Herobrine’s face hitting the stone hard. Celina quickly sat up on his back. “That’s it, Herobrine! Now, you’re going to pay for everything you’ve done!”

The Nether Prince turned his head and pushed himself up with his arms. “Get off of me, you little--” He was cut off when a fist slammed into his face, sending him back to the ground.

“Listen, you white-eyed dragon scum!” Celina shouted to him. “I know how much stronger you are than me! I know!” She then punched him again when he tried to turn his head, slamming her fist into his cheek.

“But you made the mistake of threatening someone who’s like a brother to me!” She punched him one more time, before standing on his back. “You threatened not just me, but Steve, too! And you hurt Irona and nearly beat my figurative brother to death!”

The human lifted a leg before slamming it back down, hitting him hard with her shoe. “You thought I would be begging you for mercy! You didn’t think I could put up a fight! You made a big mistake!”

The girl moved from his back and Herobrine turned to push himself up with his arms, now facing her. “Get away from me,” he snarled. “You--”

A leg landed on the open wound on his chest and he gasped, before screaming out, “EEERRRAAAHHHHH!”

“Zip it, you white-eyed monster!” Celina yelled. “You hurt people who are like family to me! So guess what?! I won’t be afraid of you anymore!” She kicked his chest again, hearing him wail again. It didn’t move her. She let her claws come out as she screeched out, “If you ever threaten my friends and family again, I’ll make you pay! DON’T YOU EVER THREATEN MY FAMILY! EVER!” She plunged her claws into his chest with one swift motion.

Herobrine wailed out as loud as he could. “AAAAAHHHHHHAAAAAAHHHHHH!” As soon as she pulled her hand away, he fell onto his side, clutching into his chest as much as he could without touching the wound. Pain like a fire was pulsing in his ribcage and he tried to draw in cool breaths to soothe the ache. He hadn’t felt anything like this is millennia and he couldn’t help but curl up, teeth gritting hard.

Celina glared down at the white-eyed beast, before her eyes moved to her crown and sword a few yards away. After waiting a moment to make sure he wouldn’t get up, she walked over to her missing items, pulling her gloves back on as she did so.

Herobrine growled and rolled onto his back, pushing himself up with one arm. The other was still on his chest, still holding onto his wound. 

Just as he opened his eyes, a sword was pointed towards him, making his expression turn to surprise. He followed the enchanted blade’s length up to see it in the hand of the human girl.

Celina ignored the anger on his face and spoke, her own rage visible on her features. “Herobrine,” she spoke, her voice strong, like the kind of a monarch speaking to her army. “I have you down and on the ground. I cannot kill you, but I have wounded you and debilitated you. Therefore, you have lost.

Her next words rang throughout the room, signaling the shift in Minecraftia’s fate forever.

**_“And I have won.”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooOOOOOOoOoOoOoOO! Celina did it! SHE FREAKIN' WON!!!  
> Thank you to everyone who has viewed!  
> Feel free to comment your thoughts!


	17. You Made a Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys!  
> When we left off, Celina had defeated Herobrine!!! And now, she has to get him to keep his end of the deal.  
> Enjoy!

Herobrine’s eyes never moved from the human in front of him as she pointed her blade at him. She stood with the stance of a general, back straight, shoulders squared, with those gray eyes never moving from him. A heavy silence hung in the air, until the Demi-God broke it. “No…” he said quietly. “You…”

Celina kept her furrowed brows and frown, doing her best to hide her surprise. She couldn’t believe it. She had just defeated Herobrine, the Nether Prince, the Lord of the Mobs, probably the most powerful being in the Overworld… in hand-to-hand combat. How she had done it was beyond her, but all the human really knew right now is that she had somehow won. And now, she had to keep the man from just murdering her in rage on the spot.

Herobrine felt anger rising inside him. “No, you couldn’t have beaten me! You couldn’t have! There must have been some kind of ploy here!”

“There was no ploy, Lord Herobrine,” Celina responded. “I beat you fair and square, and now you must fulfill your end of the bargain we made before our battle.”

The Nether Prince growled and pushed himself to stand on his feet. “You’re wrong, girl! You did  _ not _ win fairly! You tricked me! You cheated somehow! And you’ll pay for what you did!”

Celina sighed, using everything in her willpower not to roll her eyes at the man in front of her. Seemed like his pride was bigger than she thought. Crossing her arms across her chest, the queen narrowed her eyes. “Well then, Lord Herobrine, tell me this: if I cheated or fought unfairly, then tell me how I did it.” She waved a hand towards him. “Go on, tell me.”

“Well, you… you…” That was when the Demi-God looked over the queen. There were no bubbles that would indicate she had used a potion coming from her form. He couldn’t smell one either. And her energy signature wasn’t raised in any way that would indicate some kind of powers or energy shift in her. No, this human, this  _ mortal being _ … hadn’t cheated. She had used only her bare hands and the strength in her frail body.

Herobrine folded his arms and found himself huffing in rage. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t have! No mortal could have bested him with his perfectly performed skills of battle! Steven hadn’t beaten him, so how could this  _ human girl _ have? He narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

Celina put her hands on her hips. “That’s what I thought.” She saw him lightly bare his sharp canines, but she ignored this and raised a hand up. “Well, Lord Herobrine, seeing as how you lost, you must now hold up your end of our wager. You are to help me take care of Steve until he is fully healed from the wounds you inflicted upon him in battle. This includes helping me in feeding him, helping him move around, and treating his injuries. No matter how long it takes, I expect you to help me until he is healed and able to move with perfect vitality once again.”

The queen lightly paced back and forth in front of the Nether Prince, gauging his response. “And this also includes not hurting him in any way. If I should find you physically or mentally harming him, there  _ will _ be consequences. Do I make myself clear?”

Herobrine rolled his white eyes. It sounded so corny, but it seems like she was sure about everything she wanted him to do. He really didn’t want to do this, but he had made a deal. And the thing about that?

Herobrine never broke his promises.

Ever.

“Fine, human,” he finally answered, gritting his teeth. “I will help you…. In… caring for... Steven.”

Celina’s brows rose and she felt herself gape in surprise. Excuse her? Did he really just agree to help her? And how had he not killed her on the spot already? She was shocked. How had this prideful being just agreed to her terms so easily? Especially to a human? The queen didn’t know what was going through his mind right now, but she knew something must have changed. She wanted to question him, but she had a feeling that that would end up with his hands around her neck if she did.

The human shook her head softly, before going back to her more serious face. “Well… thank you, Lord Herobrine. Oh, and one more thing?”

Herobrine furrowed his brows.

“You will be staying here at the castle while you help me.”

Herobrine’s arms flew down at his sides in an instant. “What?! There is no way in the Nether that you can force me to stay here, mortal! You can’t make me!”

Celina puffed up her chest and frowned. “Lord Herobrine, if you want to uphold your end of the deal, you will stay here. It’s just so my citizens don’t panic if they see you. Plus, I want to make sure you won’t just leave and then stab me in the back if I let you out of the castle.” She looked at him with a glint of seriousness and determination in her eyes. “I’m putting my trust in you. Don’t go and break it.”

Something about her words… about that trust… it struck a nerve in Herobrine, and he felt his chest hurt. He didn’t show it, but something about how she placed trust in him?

It was familiar. And he knew exactly why.

Shaking his head and filing that thought away, Herobrine closed his eyes. “Fine.”

Celina blinked again, but didn’t let her expression fall just yet. “Well, good.” She winced suddenly, holding up an arm to look at her wounds. Her adrenaline flow was just about up and all the pain from her wounds was coming to her now. “If you’ll… excuse me,” she said. “I need to go make some potions and treat my wounds.” She looked up at the being, looking into those white eyes. “I’ll set up a bed for you once I’m done.”

*****

Celina pulled one of her Healing-Regen Potions from her brewing stand, seeing the concoction bubbling as she did so. She felt herself trembling the slightest bit as she looked down at the large wound on her right arm. She had already poured one bottle out into several wounds on her legs and chests, and gotten a good portion on the ones on her arms. There was just one more on her arms, but it was pretty big.

The queen closed her eyes. “Alright, her we go,” she whispered to herself. She tilted the bottle and a bit of the liquid fell in. She instantly wailed and set the bottle down, before grabbing onto her arm to try and stifle some of the pain. It burned, like her muscles were being sheared and burned from the inside. She knew that was the opposite of what was happening, but it still hurt like the Nether.

Celina shook and used her other hand to hold herself up on one of her cauldrons. “Son--of a… glitch…” she murmured through gritted teeth.

“Hmph. Can’t handle a little pain from such a small wound, girl? You humans are weaker than I thought.”

Her eyes flew open and Celina instantly turned her head. “Wha…” She searched for the source of the voice, and sure enough, there was Herobrine. He was sitting atop the large obsidian pyramid built in the center of the room, watching her like a dog watching a sheep. He was sitting with one knee near his chest, a hand on that knee. His white eyes stayed on her as she turned to fully face him.

Celina blinked and found herself asking him, “Herobrine? What are you doing in here?”

The Lord of the Mobs half-lidded his eyes. What a stupid question to ask. However, he might as well answer. “Well, I was bored just waiting for you.” He curled his finger on one hand, looking at his nails. “You know, you humans are quite weak. I’ve never seen someone succumb to such pain so easily.” He chuckled softly, a sly smile now on his features. “You really can’t take such pain like an immortal can.”

Celina frowned, her eyes narrowing. “Did you come in here just to insult me and my species, or did you actually want something?”

The being looked up from his hand at her. Well, it seems like someone was feeling sassy. He let out a small, “tch” before answering her. “No, it’s more like I came here to… observe you. Though I don’t care for humans, their strange nature has always made me curious.”

Celina’s expression softened. “Well… I don’t really like to be watched. If you could not do that, that would be nice.”

Her words didn’t seem to move Herobrine. He simply looked at her with his head tilted to one side. Celina slightly shifted on her feet. She didn’t like to be stared at, but that’s what he seemed to be doing. It was really… unnerving, to say the least.

A thought struck the girl. “Oh! I almost forgot something!” She made her way to a nearby chest, leaning down and pulling a small bed out from it. She then walked a few blocks away, throwing it to the ground. The small item turned into a full-sized bed, complete with pillows and a blanket. She smiled and turned to look at the immortal. “Alright, Herobrine--”

He wasn’t there.

“What in the Aether? Where did he--”

“Boo.”

“EEEP!” Celina yelped and turned on her heels, seeing the white eyed man standing on the other side of the bed behind her. She took a deep breath, before sighing and putting a hand to her chest. “Jeez, don’t do that. You’re gonna scare me out of my skin.”

Herobrine chuckled. “I can scare whoever I want, whenever I want, human. Don’t think you are any different.”

Celina frowned, but shook it off. She gestured to the bed. “Well, here.”

The Nether Prince looked at the bed, then the queen, then the bed. He moved his gaze up to the girl with his arms folded across his chest. “What is this?”

“It’s a bed. It’s for you.”

He squinted. “Why?”

Celina blinked in surprise. Did he not understand? “Well, you’re technically a guest in my castle, so it’s in my nature to set up a place for my visitors to sleep. You don’t have to use it, but I wanted to make a nice gesture for you and not show offense.”

Herobrine looked at the girl with his mouth slightly agape. No human had ever done something like this for him. Then again, no human had shown him such kindness in millennia. It had been some time, but he didn’t know what to think. He had tried to kill this girl only a short while ago, and now she was showing him kindness? It made no sense. This human was confusing, confusing and yet… interesting.

Celina almost felt like Herobrine was staring through her head and into her soul with those white eyes that glowed ever so gently. She was almost mesmerized by them. She would have been if she didn’t feel a sudden fear from his stare. The queen shifted again, before looking at the stairs behind her, then turning back to Herobrine. “Well… I’m--I’m going to… head to bed.”

The being didn’t really respond, just tilted his head. 

Celina shook a little bit as she turned away from him. “Good… good night, Lord Herobrine,” she bid him, before making her way up the staircase.

*****

After dressing into her nightgown and patching up that last wound with bandages, Celina sat in her bed, a book in her hands as she read the lines of words inside. She turned a couple of pages as she continued, then she placed her bookmark inside. She then set her book on her nightstand block and looked down at her lap.

A small sigh escaped the girl’s lips. “Man… how on earth did I even beat him in a fight,” she asked herself. “He’s super strong, probably the strongest being in the Overworld, and I… I beat him in combat. I mean… I saved Steve and probably the rest of the kingdom, but… he’s probably going to slit my throat when I least expect it.”

She shook her head. “Even if he helps me take care of Steve, nothing is stopping him from killing me once Steve is healed. I didn’t even think that far ahead.” She sighed again, then moved to lie down on her mattress, head sinking into the pillows. She closed her eyes. “I just hope I’m not in over my head.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Celina has put her trust in Herobrine. But how long could that trust last?  
> Feel free to comment! :D


	18. Rise and Shine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter, everyone!  
> Enjoy!

The sun rose the next morning, painting the skies in light blues, oranges, and yellows. The yellow orb slowly ascended from its place below the hills to the east. A few clouds moved on a very faint breeze as early light bathed the kingdom. 

Celina’s eyes fluttered open as the rays of the sun came through the red and yellow stained glass window and ran across her face. She let a small smile grace her lips. Another early morning and another day in the Creaturae server. She sighed a bit in relief when she realized she was still alive. Alive and breathing. 

The queen sat up in her bed, the sleeves of her purple nightgown flowing down her arms. She looked through her window in front of her, seeing the sun’s rays streaming through as it rose. Celina chuckled. “A lovely morning.” She stretched her arms above her head as she yawned. 

The fact that she hadn’t been killed in her sleep struck her as she moved to stand from her bed. “Hmm… I wonder if Herobrine stayed here last night. He said he would, but… this is a white-eyed killer I’m trusting here. A man more powerful than any human or mob in the Overworld.” She chuckled lightly. “The fact that he left me alone to sleep seems like a good sign.” She looked to the floor, where under her was the grand room. That was where she had left Herobrine before heading to her room.

Celina’s smile turned more passive. “I’ll get dressed and see if he’s awake. Then we’ll go take care of Steve.” She smiled once more. “Time for a new day.”

*****

Celina made her way down the stairs from her room into the grand room, her steps quiet. She usually didn’t make much noise when walking anyway, with her small stature. 

The queen looked out one of the windows when she reached the floor, seeing the sun still steadily rising. She put a hand to one hip. “Well, it looks like it’s gonna be a beautiful day.”

A small shifting noise had her eyes landing on the shape of a man sitting on the bed she had set up last night. Herobrine seemed to be sitting on the bed sheets, head bowed and hands on his lap. He looked almost like he was… sad? Or perhaps deep in thought? Celina couldn’t tell.

The girl frowned and furrowed her brows. He looked to be okay, but maybe he was troubled by something. “Herobrine,” she called out. 

No response.

Celina put a hand on her chin in worry. Maybe Herobrine had left the castle and injured himself? Or maybe he was thinking about something? She couldn’t tell just from looking at him, but she needed him to be awake and follow her to the throne room to take care of Steve. She had an idea of what to do since he didn’t respond. But it might just get her in trouble.

The queen slowly took steps towards Herobrine, her heart beginning to thud in her ribcage. She really shouldn’t be doing this, this man had tried to kill her only last night. And yet, Celina’s sense of morals told her that she needed to make sure he was okay.

She reached within a foot of Herobrine. She could see his back rising and falling with his slow breathing. Was he asleep? It sure seemed like it. But, maybe he didn’t need to sleep considering he was human? But it seemed like he was sleeping.

She had to make sure.

Celina slowly, with a shaking arm, reached out to Herobrine, placing a hand on his arm. “Herobrine?”

It happened too fast for her to process. A death grip was suddenly around her wrist as Herobrine reached back and took a hold of her arm. She cried out in surprise and pain as an instant agony filled her arm. “Let go, let go, let go!” she shouted in panic.

Herobrine’s posture straightened up from his slumped position and he gritted his teeth. This little girl… this human… had the gall to touch him again after besting his in battle? After the humiliation she had put his through, she had the nerve to do that?

Celina pulled and struggled to get out of the grip on her arm but failed like a caged animal. She was really in trouble now.

Herobrine narrowed his eyes. “After defeating me in battle… you have the audacity…” He turned to look over his shoulder at the queen, making her flinch in fright. “...to lay your filthy little hand on me again?”

“I--I’m sorry!” she shouted. Celina really had to make him see she was only concerned for him, or she just might lose her hand. “I--I was just… just making--sure--you were okay! I saw you slumped over and thought you were asleep or unwell!”

Herobrine squinted, knitting his brows. “Why would you be concerned about me, whelp? I tried to kill you, and yet you show worry for me?”

“I’m--sorry, but you looked like something was wrong.” She tried to wipe the fearful tears now forming in her eyes. “I just… it’s in my blood to help others who need it. I was just… I wanted to make sure--you were okay.” She whimpered as she struggled again to get out of his grip.

Herobrine looked over her form and face. She wasn’t… lying? She didn’t show any kind of deceit with her tone or posture. But, no human would ever show any kind of concern for him. That was preposterous, especially considering she nearly died by his hand. However, there was no trickery in her voice, nor lying in her stance. 

Herobrine finally let her hand go, and the queen pulled it back, holding her wrist with her other hand. She whimpered a bit. That was definitely going to bruise later. 

“Let this be a lesson to you, mortal,” the Nether Prince said as he stood from the bed and turned on his heels. “Do not ever,  _ ever _ touch me.”

Celina looked up at his words, but frowned at him calling her, “mortal” again. She didn’t care how powerful this guy was, he could at least call her something not so degrading. “My name is Celina,” she spoke to him with slight annoyance, her mouth moving before her mind could stop it. “Not mortal, whelp, human, or girl! Celina!”

“Like I care what your name is,” he answered with folded arms. “I’ll call you whatever I please.”

Celina rolled her eyes and sighed. Seems like she was just going to have to deal with this guy’s ego for a while. He seemed to have a large sense of pride and feeling of being so much better than humans. Shaking that off, the queen spoke to him again. “Well, that aside. I need you to follow me back to the throne room.”

Herobrine quirked a brow. “Why?”

“Well, we’re going back in there to take care of Steve. You made a deal, so that deal starts now.” She gestured for the being to follow her. “Now, come along.”

Herobrine huffed. “Fine.” He began to walk in step with the human, staying a few feet behind her so as not to get too close. 

As the two walked across the room, Celina looked over her shoulder at the man. “Out of curiosity… were you asleep?”

“That’s none of your business, girl.”

“Okay, okay, sorry. I was just wondering.” She looked ahead as the being followed her, heading for the door to one of the bridges.  _ “This is gonna be a long few months.” _

*****

One of the doors to the throne room slowly creaked open, being moved slowly so as not to disturb the sleeping miner. Celina stepped inside and moved so Herobrine could do the same, before closing the wooden door behind them. They shared a glance before a noise caught their attention.

There on the bed near the thrones lay Steve, lying on his side with a soft look on his features. He seemed so content, so at peace, and the slow movement of his chest indicated that he was breathing well, despite the injuries he sustained only last night. That was definitely a good sign.

Herobrine scowled a bit as he looked at Steve. The man shouldn’t have survived his wrath, the man before him should be dead by now. And yet, here he was, having been saved by the one who he was now bound to. He hated this situation, hated seeing the peace on the miner’s face.

The Lord of the Mobs’ thoughts were broken when the human spoke, a soft smile on her face.

“Aww, he looks so peaceful.”

“Oh, please, girl, he looks pathetic.”

Celina snapped her head to look up at Herobrine, shooting him a dark glare, before shrugging it off. It’s not like she could change his opinion on humans. He hated them for reasons unknown to anyone but him. And it was unlikely he’d tell her.

Celina ignored that thought with a small smile forming. She then moved to the bed. Time to wake up Steve.

*****

“Steve? Steve, can you hear me? Stevie?”

Steve made a small noise in his sleep as the black began to disappear again, pain flooding his form again. Albeit, the pain wasn’t nearly as bad as it was last night. It actually has lightened up quite a bit. The miner realized as he came into the world of the waking that he was lying on his side, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Sunlight filtered through the windows of the room in the castle where he was, the warmth of some landing on his form and warming him up. It was early in the morning from what he could tell. And as his eyes focused, Steve could see a form standing beside his bed. 

The form was short, but he recognized the colors of her clothes, tan skin, gray eyes, and black hair. She had the most gentle and sweet expression on her face. Steve smiled ever so softly. “Good morning, Your Majesty,” he spoke, his voice slightly hoarse.

Celina giggled. Seeing her friend looking so peaceful and relaxed was such a nice sight after hearing his pain last night. He looked a lot better from the night. She clasped her hands. “Good morning, Steve,” she responded. “How are you feeling, my friend?”

Steve turned to lie partially on his side, partially on his back, so he could better look at the queen. “I’m still hurting, but not nearly as bad as last night. I’m still pretty sore. But I don’t feel like I did before. I think your potions helped a lot with that.” He chuckled softly. “Celina, I need to thank you again. I don’t think I would have made it out alive last night if it hadn’t been for your help. You saved my life, and I’ll be forever grateful for it. You’ve got a good heart and warrior strength, and I owe my life to you.”

Celina smiled a little wider, a soft blush crossing her face. “Steve, you’re like a brother to me. I care about you dearly and I don’t know what I’d do without you. You mean everything to me, and I’d do anything for you. I love you and I’ll always be there for you. Never forget that.”

Steve grinned. This girl was a ray of sunshine, someone whose kindness was undeserved by the cruelty of this world.

As he looked at Celina, Steve noticed something and his smile fell. “Hey, out of curiosity,” he started. “What… did you do with my shirt last night?”

Celina blinked. “Oh, I have it right here in my inventory.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the miner’s cyan long sleeve, looking brand new, as if it hadn’t been torn and covered in blood just last night. “I took some time to wash it and sew it up last night while I was waiting for you to wake up.” She tilted her head. “Can… you sit up?”

Steve nodded. “I think so.” He turned to lie on his back, then tried to push himself up. That was when a sharp agony ran through his arms and chest and he cried out. “AHHHH!”

Celina rushed to the miner’s side and put an arm behind him, being mindful of touching the wounds on his back. She heard him hiss in pain and she moved the pillows behind him. “Easy, Steve. Here, let me help you.”

Steve nodded again and the queen helped him to sit up. He was still very shaky, but it seems like he just exerted his body too much at once. Celina helped him slip his shirt over his head and onto his arms, and Steve was once again dressed in his signature shirt. He sighed softly. “There we go, that’s better.”

Celina nodded. “How does it feel?”

“Good, really good. Your stitch work is really nice, Celina.” 

“Why, thank you, Steve.”

The miner smiled sleepily at her. However, a sudden shifting noise caught his attention. He moved his head to look a little bit further to his left, and that was when his heart dropped. A man almost identical to him was standing there, wearing the same shirt, belt, jeans, and boots. He even had the same skin tone and hair color, but he was missing freckles, his hair flowed down over his shoulders, and those eyes. Those glowing blank eyes. They seemed to be glaring down at him, as if trying to take his soul. Steve’s mouth fell open and his violet eyes went wide.

Celina noticed the sudden fear that had stricken the miner and she furrowed her brows. “Steve?” She then noticed where his gaze was and her heart leapt into her throat. “Oh, shoot.”

She didn’t even think about what would happen if Steve saw Herobrine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh, looks like this might not end well! :0  
> Thank you for reading, I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!


	19. What Should I Believe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! I have the next chapter ready! I'm really happy with how this one came out, I love writing Celina and Herobrine's thought processes!  
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoy! :D

Steve’s whole body trembled the longer he looked at the white-eyed terror standing only blocks away from him, arms crossed and a deep frown on his face. His heart began to pound hard in his chest, as if it was in a race in a life or death situation. And that was what it seemed like with Herobrine standing there. Steve suddenly shouted, “Herobrine!” and turned around in his spot, trying to scramble back on the bed. He was afraid he would fall off if he moved any further back, but his survival instincts were telling him to just get up and run. Steve knew he couldn’t do that though, he was too injured and now he was at Herobrine’s mercy again.

“Herobrine, please, I--I don’t--don’t know what I did wrong---but please! Please don’t take my soul! I beg of you!” Steve shook his head. “Please, I don’t want to die! Have mercy on me, please!”

Herobrine watched the miner with discontent on his face, keeping his arms folded. The man was really panicking at this point, and he hadn’t even done anything.

Steve could feel fear like nothing else surging through him, but he also felt great pain from his sudden movements. He found his voice getting smaller as he continued to beg. “I don’t--want… wanna die. I just… I have… I--I don’t… don’t…” Tears now fell from the corners of his eyes from the pain and fear in his heart and he found himself unable to speak. Herobrine only stood there and stared at the miner with anger on his face. Steve couldn’t keep his composure anymore. He started to cry.

Celina’s heart seemed to break and she placed a hand on her chest as the man before he began to sob out. Steve curled up into a tight ball and cried loudly, making the queen knit her brows and frown. She didn’t even think about how her figurative brother would react to seeing the white eyed man in her castle after what happened last night in the forest. Celina should have known better than to just let him see Herobrine on his own.

Steve couldn’t stop himself from hiccupping and sobbing loudly, tears rolling down his face as he did so. He was so scared, so terrified that he was about to lose his soul to Herobrine. He couldn’t think straight, all the pain in his body and terror in his heart had him crying like a child.

The queen sighed softly. She shouldn’t be wallowing in self-pity, her friend needed her. 

Celina walked up to the side of Steve’s bed as he covered his mouth with his hands, trying to stifle his cries. She frowned and gently put a hand on Steve’s shoulder. 

Herobrine found himself rolling his eyes. “Please, Steven,” he spoke with his echoing voice. “You’re such a weakling. I haven’t even touched you since last night, and yet here you are; begging for mercy like the fool you are.”

Celina shot him a deep frown with narrowed eyes. “Don’t you dare say that kind of thing to Steve! He’s not weak! He’s human, and he’s just afraid! Especially considering you nearly murdered him last night.”

Herobrine simply made a small “tch” noise and turned away from her. Celina sighed again, before changing her expression and looking back down at Steve. “Steve, I’m so sorry. Do you need a hug?”

The miner managed to open his eyes and look up at his friend. He nodded with a whimper, and he embraced the queen when she held out her arms. He leaned up and held tightly to her, crying into her chest. Celina began to gently rock her friend back and forth, hoping to soothe his cries. He sobbed into her shirt, unable to control his emotions any longer.

The queen made a gentle humming noise as she held onto her friend. She should have known better than to just let him see Herobrine on his own. She really should have. Steve spoke up between his hiccups and cries and she found herself frowning.

“He’s… he’s--gonna--kill me. He’s… he hates me. He--he always has.”

Celina held her friend just a little closer at his words. She knew how much he feared this man, how much this being had hurt him, and it broke her heart. But she had to reassure him that he would be okay. “It’s okay, Steve, he’s not going to hurt you. Not anymore.”

“But--but… he hates me. He--near--ly… killed me.”

“I know, Steve, but now he’s gonna help me take care of you.”

After processing those words, alarm bells went off in the miner’s mind. Did he hear that right? Did she say… what he thought she just said? Steve opened his watery eyes and looked up at Celina, his lip still trembling and tears still running down his cheeks. “Wait… what… what do you mean?”

She managed to give him a soft smile. “Well, I beat him in a fight last night, and we made a deal. So now, he has to help me take care of you.”

Steve’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped a bit. What did she just say? That didn’t make any sense. No human could beat Herobrine in a fight. No one. He knew this from experience. He knew this from all the beatings that the Demi-God had given him. “Wait… what?”

“She’s right, Steven.”

The queen and the miner turned in the direction of the voice to see the Nether Prince with his arms folded across his chest, a scowl on his features. His white eyes looked back and forth between the two humans before he spoke again. “I followed the human girl and you here last night so I could finish you off, take your soul, and take the soul of this girl that has evaded my grasp for so long.” He could see the queen huff a bit at that, but he just rolled his eyes.

“So, I attempted to take your soul first, and this human girl challenged me to a battle after trying to stop me. I wasn’t going to stand down from such a challenge, so I accepted.” He turned away and closed his eyes. He really didn’t want to admit this last part, especially to the man who should have been dead already. Seeing the miner’s surprise at his next sentence pained him, but he had to say it. “I fought against her in… hand-to-hand combat, and… she… won.”

Steve let a small gasp escape him. He looked at Celina. Then Herobrine. Then Celina. Herobrine. Celina. Herobrine. A sweet, adorable, benevolent queen of a small kingdom… had beaten the most powerful Demi-God and Prince of the Nether in a fight? “Wait… what,” he questioned.

Celina chuckled at the miner’s expression. “Hehehe. Yeah, I wasn’t sure how I beat him either.”

“You probably cheated,” the Nether Prince responded, shifting his stance and turning away from the humans.

Celina looked at him with furrowed brows. “What is with you saying that I cheated? You’re really a sore loser, aren’t you?”

“I’m no such thing!” Herobrine shouted back. “You just… put a dent in my pride is all,” he said. He tried to not look at the queen, but his gaze moved back to her when she walked up to him.

“Well, you don’t need to be such a jerk about it,” Celina told him, putting her hands to her hips.

“Are you trying to test me patience on purpose, girl,” he asked her.

“No, I’m just telling you what happened. And what happened is that I beat you fair and--”

A small growling noise came from behind the queen, stopping the two in their argument. Celina turned back to the miner after hearing him wince. Steve was sitting up with a hand on his stomach, his face looking a little pained. “Steve, was that your tummy, sweetie?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah… I… I didn’t eat last night before I left for home, and I haven’t eaten since before we headed into the mines.”

Celina frowned with concern. “Do you need me to make you something to eat, Steve?”

“I mean… you don’t have to. I can… try to get it myself.”

“Steve, you couldn’t even sit up without my help,” Celina said gently. “I don’t think you’ll be able to stand.”

The miner seemed to think about this, because he stayed silent. The girl smiled kindly. “Let me go out and get some wheat, and I can come back in and make you some of my apple bread. Are you okay with that, Steve?”

A weak smile graced the miner’s lips as he nodded. “Okay. Your apple bread is really good.”

“Okay, give me a few minutes and I’ll be back.” She gestured to the Nether Prince. “Herobrine, I need you to come with me.”

Herobrine frowned and narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“I want you to help me out a bit. If you’re going to help me care for Steve, you need to pull some weight around here.” She gestured for him to follow her. “Now, come along.”

Herobrine looked like he wanted to protest, but let out a heavy sigh and just muttered. “Fine.”

*****

The kingdom outside was still fairly quiet for the morning, but then again, Celina had gotten up as the sun had begun to rise. No one else in the kingdom really got up as early as her. Maybe that was a good thing considering that the legendary man known as Herobrine was keeping close behind her. 

Celina led the way to a garden behind one of the large castle rooms, a fruit and vegetable garden surrounded by rose bushes filled with rainbow colored roses. This caught Herobrine’s eye as he followed the queen. “Where did you get these roses,” he asked. “I’ve never seen such a thing before.”

Celina turned to look at Herobrine, seeing him stopping and gently running fingers of one hand over the soft petals of one of the flowers. Its petals shined in shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and indigo. She was surprised. Herobrine seemed to have seen a lot, but she was surprised he had never seen anything like these. 

“Well, one day, I found a few rare white roses. I experimented with giving them water with flower safe dyes in it to change their petal colors, for… no reason other than curiosity. Then, I tried breeding them with red roses to get different colors. The colors I made mixed well, so I kept cross breeding them until I got two that came out in a rainbow.” She chuckled softly. I’m very proud of them, I worked hard to get as many as I have.” 

Herobrine looked at her with slightly furrowed brows. He had never seen anything like this before. She was much smarter than he had thought. This girl seemed to have a very intricate thought process.

Celina smiled and tilted her head, before continuing towards the food garden. She made her way to a small gate surrounding some fully grown wheat. Herobrine looked at her garden in curiosity. “So, who maintains your farm, human?”

“I do.”

He blinked in surprise, then looked at the girl, who was just looking at him with those big gray eyes. “What do you mean, you maintain it? Don’t you have servants or subjects who do it for you?”

Celina shook her head. “No, I do everything myself. I grow and hunt for all my own food and mobs drops, I help my citizens build new structures, I plant new flowers myself, and I even built this castle beside my husband.”

“Why? You’ve got a kingdom you rule. Why don’t you have others do it for you?”

Celina looked at him as she took her crown off her head, holding it in her hands. “I don’t see my subjects as lower than me, like some rulers of bigger kingdoms do. These people mean a lot to me, and it’s my job to keep them happy and safe. I really do care about them and just because I wear a crown, doesn’t mean I will put them on a lower level than me. Besides, doing things like building, hunting, fishing, mining; doing all of that myself makes me feel like I’ve gotten something done. It gives me a sense of accomplishment.”

Herobrine raised a brow. This girl… she was kind and had a hand of mercy that was familiar. It was like… like someone he knew once.

A princess with the same sense of morals.

But he didn’t need to remember that now. He shook his head and sighed. No need to get into old memories. Not when he needed to follow this girl around and do as she said.

Celina opened the gate to her wheat area, looking at Herobrine. “I’m gonna gather some wheat and hand it to you, okay? Just hold onto it and I’ll replant some seeds. Then we can go back inside.”

Herobrine huffed, but nodded. “Fine. Just get it over with.”

Celina frowned. This guy may not have wanted to help her, but it was interesting how he complied with her anyways. 

Maybe there was something he wasn’t telling her. Something going on in his mind.

But she might never know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooo, looks like Herobrine is thinking pretty hard about something! But what could be so familiar about this little queen?  
> Thank you for all the support, guys! It means a lot to me!  
> Stick around for more!


	20. Something Devious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone, I have the next chapter! :D  
> This one is lots of dialogue, but I really love how it came out!  
> Enjoy!

Celina stepped into her wheat farm and lifted her skirt as she made her way inside. She began to pluck some of the wheat from the ground, seeing seeds pop up as she did so. She gathered them into her inventory, pulled out some string, then tied the wheat into small bundles. She did this a few times as Herobrine watched her. 

After a minute, she looked at the Nether Prince. “Here, Herobrine. Hold onto these, and I’ll replant some of the seeds.” 

Herobrine looked at the wheat bundles as she held them out to him. He then slowly took them into his hands, reluctance very clear on his face. He seemed like he didn’t want to do this, but he did anyway. This was strange to Celina, he clearly didn’t like her, but he did as she asked anyways. Maybe there was some sense of honor he had that he was talking about.

Celina turned back to her farm, pulling her iron hoe from her inventory. She began to work with the dirt from the places she had taken wheat from, before popping some seeds into the ground. She then put her hoe back, smiling at her work. “There we go, those should grow back in a week or so.”

The smell of smoke suddenly caught her attention and Celina quickly turned to look and see Herobrine, with some of the wheat in his hands set alight. She gasped. “Herobrine, no! Put that out!”

Herobrine let out a dark chuckle. “And why should I, girl? You didn’t say I couldn’t do anything to your wheat once I held it. You only said I had to hold it.”

The queen growled in frustration and stepped closer to him. “That doesn’t mean you can just set it on fire! Why would you do that?!”

“I was bored.”

Celina made a small angry sputtering sound before shouting. “I don’t care how bored you were! Put it out now!”

Herobrine just looked at her with narrowed eyes, but before she could say anything else, he waved a hand and the flames disappeared. Celina sighed and nodded. “Thank you. Now, can I see those bundles?”

Herobrine scoffed and handed them to her, folding his arms again once she held them.

Celina smiled. “There. That wasn’t so hard, now was it?”

“ **_Don’t,_ ** ” Herobrine growled to her, his eyes slanted in and a deep scowl on his face.

Celina’s eyes widened for a second.

_ THUMP _

Celina shook her head. “What in the End?”

“AHHHHHHH!”

Celina gasped and looked to the throne room. “That was Steve!” She quickly stowed the wheat into her inventory and began to run back towards the large room of the castle. “C’mon, he could be in trouble!”

Herobrine watched her run back towards where the miner was. He shrugged. There was really no reason not to follow her. And so he did, albeit at a much slower pace.

*****

The doors to the throne room flew open as Celina ran inside. Her gaze flew to where Steve’s bed was and gasped. Steve was lying on the floor on his side, trying to push himself up and failing as he cried out in pain.

“Steve!” Celina ran to the miner, her long skirt flowing behind her as she did. She got onto her knees next to him. “Steve, what happened?!”

The miner let out a loud whine as the queen tried to help him up. “I… I was… I was thirsty--so I tried… to get up. I… I didn’t… I couldn’t stand up and fell.” 

Celina carefully put an arm behind the miner and helped him to his feet, hearing him whimper as she helped him back onto the bed. “Steve, you’re not in any shape to move around, sweetheart,” the queen told him. “If you needed water, you could have called me.” She saw the pained gaze her friend gave her and she carefully put a hand on his shoulder. “Stevie, if you need anything--and I mean  _ anything-- _ please, let me know. I’ll get you what you need. Just please let me know, okay?”

Steve sighed, but let out a smile and nodded. “Okay, thank you, Celina. I’m sorry, I’m just not used to people doing things for me.” He chuckled. “I like to do everything myself.”

Celina smiled. “I know, Steve, I know. But that’s okay. Here, let me get the bread started, then I’ll get you some water.”

The miner nodded, so the queen made her way to one of her crafting tables. She noticed Herobrine was standing in the doorway, watching her, but she shrugged it off, telling him, “You can come in, you know.” 

Herobrine rolled his eyes, before walking in a little further, closing the door behind him.

Celina pulled out her wheat as she got to the crafting table, untying the string and placing it on the table. She then reached into a nearby chest, pulled out an apple, and pulled her axe from her inventory. The queen chopped the apple up with her axe, kneaded the wheat into dough, and placed the slices into the dough. She then walked to a small furnace and placed it inside, lighting the coal with a torch from her inventory.

“There we go, that should be done here pretty soon.” She then got a bottle filled with water and walked over to Steve. “Here you go, Steve.”

“Thank you, Celina,” replied the miner before popping the cork and taking a drink.

Celina watched him for a moment, before a noise got her attention. She turned to where Irona lay, seeing that her hands were moving a little bit. She had almost forgotten about the iron golem last night. But then again, she had fought Herobrine after Irona had been knocked out. Maybe she was waking up now?

Celina carefully walked over to the golem, reaching up and putting a hand on her arm. “Irona… Irona, can you hear me? Irona?”

The golem made a small creaking noise, before her eyes fluttered open. Red orbs slowly revealed themselves.

Irona let out a silent groan as she came to, not remembering anything in her weakness. She was awfully sore from whatever knocked her out. Her whole body ached like someone had slammed her into the ground. Irona pushed herself up with shaking arms, finding that she could definitely still feel her limbs. They hurt like the Nether, but she could still feel them. That was a good sign. What in Creaturae happened last night?

“Irona?”

A familiar voice had her lifting her head slowly and looking to her left. She looked down to see a short girl wearing a crown looking up at her with a gentle smile.

“Hey, Irona,” Celina spoke after seeing Irona’s eyes go wide. “How do you feel, dear?”

Irona’s mouth curved into a wide grin and she suddenly wrapped her arms around Celina from her spot on the floor and pulled her into a tight hug. Celina made a little cheep from surprise when she was embraced, and she could feel Irona lightly nuzzling her head against her. “Yes, Irona, I’m okay! I’m okay, silly!”

The iron golem couldn’t help but hold the queen close after seeing her. Her memories from last night flooded back the moment she spoke and she was just so grateful that her master hadn’t just been slaughtered on the spot. She couldn’t describe the joy she felt in that moment.

Celina could see how happy Irona was that she was alive, and so spoke to her, “I’m glad you’re awake, Irona. We’re okay. We’re all okay.”

At those words, Irona opened her eyes and looked to see Steve on his bed. He stopped drinking his water for a second to give her a small wave and say, “Hey, Irona!”

The golem’s smile got just a little wider. Everyone was okay, and there wasn’t more she could ask for. 

“Well, it’s about time you woke up, Lady Golem.”

A sudden voice coming from the front of the room made her face fall, she knew that voice. She knew it well. Irona snapped her head forward to see the white eyed man, the Nether Prince, the most powerful being in all of the Overworld. Herobrine was standing right there and he looked up at her with such a mocking gaze. Irona immediately felt anger surging through her veins.  _ “What the hell are you still doing here?!” _ came her thoughts. She knew very well he could hear her, considering he stole her voice and still had it somewhere. 

Celina realized what the sudden look of anger on Irona’s face was about and she watched the golem carefully. She seemed to hold the queen just a little bit closer in her embrace, as if to protect her. “Irona,” she spoke up.

The iron golem didn’t answer her, she just simply gave Herobrine an unmoving glare, not wanting to take her eyes off of him should he try something. He had done who knows what to her queen while she had been out. She wasn’t going to let him hurt anyone else she knew again. Never again!

She carefully set Celina down and found herself trying to stand up. It took a moment but Irona was once again on her feet. She stared Herobrine down and stood back, getting ready to run towards him again. She had a new idea on how to take him down--

“Irona, no! He’s not here to hurt you again, I beat him in a fight and now he has to help me take care of Steve!”

Irona froze. Excuse her? She whipped her head down to look at her queen and made a few confused squeaks. 

Celina shook her head. “No, Irona, I’m not joking. I beat him in a hand-to-hand match last night after he knocked you out. I wasn’t going to let him try to take Steve’s soul like he said he would, and so I challenged him to a fight. He lost, so now he’s going to help us take care of Steve. It was part of our deal that we made before our match.”

Irona looked at Celina. Then Herobrine. Then Celina. Herobrine. Celina. 

“Look, I know it sounds hard to believe, Irona,” Celina started. “But you need to trust me. He made a deal that he’s not going to hurt Steve and is going to help me take care of him.”

Irona made several loud creaking and clicking sounds with a hand pointing to Herobrine.

“I know Irona, I know,” Celina responded.

Irona made several more angry clicks and squeaks.

“I know, Irona! I KNOW!” Celina shouted, frustration starting to bubble under her skin.

Irona looked at her in shock and backed up a bit. 

Celina realized that she surprised Irona and her expression of anger fell and was replaced with a more apologetic one. “Sorry, Irona, I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. I’m just really… frustrated.” She clasped her hands behind her back. “Look, I know it sounds crazy, but I beat him fair and square. And he made a deal. So I’m going to have him stay here. I just don’t want you to try and fight him again since he’s kinda a guest here. Just… let him help me. You don’t have to talk to him or be nice to him or anything. Just don’t try to fight him again, okay?”

Irona looked down at her with a passive face, before smiling and ruffling the human’s hair. She nodded and made a few squeaks. 

Celina nodded. “Thank you.”

“Are you ladies done with your little drama fest already?”

The two turned to look at Herobrine, who was still standing by the doors with his arms folded and a look of boredom on his face. Celina sighed softly. “Yes, Herobrine, we’re done.”

Irona quickly took two fingers, pointed at herself, then at Herobrine, as if to say, “ _ I’m watching you.” _

Herobrine made a small noise and shrugged her off. It’s not like she would actually try to touch him.

No one could. No one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooo, so it seems like Irona's gonna be watching Herobrine. :3c


	21. An Immortal's Care

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I have a new chapter today! This one was one of my favorites to write, I just love writing small interactions and stuff like that.  
> This one also has a lot of thoughts from Brine. :3c  
> Enjoy!

The smell of the bread coming from the furnace caught Celina’s attention and she walked to where it was cooking. She took a cloth from her inventory and grabbed onto the loaf, taking it and walking over to Steve. “Here you go, Stevie. Fresh out of the furnace for you.”

The miner carefully took the loaf from her. “Thank you, Celina. I appreciate it.” He smiled as she did, then he took a bite from the loaf, being careful so as not to burn himself. It was very crisp and the apples had been cooked just right. Steve let out a small hum and continued to eat.

Celina smiled and let out a chuckle at his hum, before Herobrine speaking caught her attention.

“If you’re not going to make me do anything, may I leave, human?”

Celina turned on her heels and looked into his white eyes, finding that she really wasn’t intimidated by them anymore. “Herobrine, no, you have to stay here at the castle. Remember what I said last night?”

Herobrine let a small snarl. “You clearly have no need for my help, so why would you enforce that?”

Celina sighed and rolled her eyes. “Because, I don’t want you scaring any of my subjects. They all know the legends, so I don’t think it would be wise to have you out there. Besides, how can I know you won’t just leave and either kill someone out there or kill one of us when we’re not looking?”

Herobrine huffed. The girl was smart, smarter than he thought. It was annoying, but he really had underestimated her. He rolled his white eyes. “Fine.”

Celina frowned a bit. “Hey, don’t give me that attitude. You were the one who tried to hurt Steve.  _ You  _ brought this upon yourself by trying to take my brother’s soul.  _ You _ did this to yourself.”

Herobrine frowned again and slowly said, “Shut up.”

Celina stuck her tongue out at him.

The Demi-God narrowed his eyes more. “You little brat!”

Celina opened her mouth to respond, but Steve stopped her.

“Celina.”

The queen turned on her heels to look at the miner. He had concern written on his face. “What’s wrong, Steve,” she asked.

He set the loaf of bread on his lap and spoke to his friend. “Celina, don’t test his patience. I’ve seen what he can do when he gets angry. I don’t want you to get hurt because you’re trying to protect me from him. He has one Nether of a temper, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

The queen frowned. Steve was right. This man’s anger had no limits and she had seen that firsthand. She knew she was pushing her luck, but she really wanted Herobrine to see that he had to keep his promise. There was something inside Celina, something that wanted to show him how kind a human could be. Maybe she still could?

Filing that thought away, Celina smiled and nodded to Steve. “Okay. I’ll be careful.” When he nodded, she clasped her hands together. “How about we work on your wounds when you’re done eating? We should probably change those bandages since you’ve had them for a while.”

At the thought of that, Steve’s smile fell into a worried frown. He pursed his lips together. “Are… are we gonna have to use more of that potion?”

Celina’s face fell. “...Unfortunately yes. But I won’t rush you, buddy. Take your time eating and I’ll do it when you’re done.”

“...Okay.” Steve tried to smile again, despite the fear now resting in his heart.

It didn’t take long for Steve to finish his meal and for Celina to get the bandages and potions that she had brewed last night. She looked at the miner as she set one of the potions on the floor. “Okay, Steve, are you good?”

“Y--Yeah.” Steve didn’t mean to sound so scared, but he truly was afraid of that glowing liquid that was at her side. He eyed it with worry and Celina seemed to catch his stare.

“Don’t worry, Stevie, it shouldn’t hurt as much as the first time,” She tried to assure him. Steve nodded and the queen beamed. “Steve, hold out your arm, please. Let’s get the bandages on your left arm first.”

Steve nodded and held out his arm. Celina found the end of the wrappings near his wrist and took a hold, before beginning to pull.

“AHHHHH! OW!” Steve suddenly shouted, making Celina recoil.

“Oh, Jeb, Steve, I’m sorry!” She responded to his cry. “Oh, what did I do?”

“It’s… it’s okay, Celina,” Steve said after he managed to swallow down the need to cry out more. He didn’t mean to frighten her like that. “I… I think the blood is just… drying to--to my bandages.”

“Oh, and it pulled the skin around your wounds when I pulled on it,” the girl concluded. “I’m sorry, Steve, I didn’t mean to hurt you. Let me try again. I’ll try to be more careful.” The queen took a hold of the bandages again and this time, she went slow but used her other hand to help keep Steve’s skin in place while she took off the wrappings. When it was done, Celina reached down and took the bottle into her hand. 

Steve saw the potion in Celina’s hand and found himself beginning to shake. He let out a small gulp as she popped the cork.

Celina saw the fear on Steve’s face and spoke, “Steve, I know this stuff hurts, but it’ll help your wounds a lot. I promise you, it’ll be okay once the anesthetic kicks in, okay?”

The miner nodded. “Celina?”

“Yes?”

“Can I… can I hold your hand again?”

Celina nodded and held out her hand for him to take. He did so, then the queen took the bottle and gently tipped it over, pouring some of the potion into the wound.

“AHHHHHHAAAAAHH!” Steve immediately vocalized his pain as soon as the potion hit the inside of his injury. It burned and felt like his muscles were being torn in half inside of his arm. He could see some of the potion bubbling from his wound and he shut his eyes and bit his lip. He held tightly onto his friend, shaking and trying not to move despite what his body was telling him.

Celina could only stand there and watch her friend as he held onto her hand. She put down the bottle held onto his hand with both of hers. It’s okay, Steve, it’s okay. Just take deep breaths, okay?”

“Ce--Celina,” Steve stuttered out. “Why… why does it have to… to--hurt so much?” Tears were now falling down his cheeks, his whole body trembling.

Celina placed a gentle kiss to his forehead. “I’m sorry, buddy. Just take some breaths, it’ll be over soon. Just keep breathing.”

Herobrine, from his place several blocks behind Celina, watched the way the queen tried to comfort the miner despite his pain. She kept a very cool head despite his cries, and that was something he found interesting. This girl kept herself calm for the sake of someone she considered a brother. “ _...That’s strange,” _ he thought.  _ “They share a bond like that of siblings, and yet they share no blood. Her care for him… it’s what drives her. But… not just care for him, but her care for the people in her kingdom.”  _ His eyes moved to the iron golem, who sat nearby and watched.  _ “Even for someone like the lady golem. She cares about so many others, even if she has no familial ties to them. What drives her to protect these people?” _

Herobrine would have to keep that thought in mind. For now, he just wanted to observe the humans a bit more.

The anesthetic effects kicked in as Steve let out a shuddering sigh, his body relaxed and he let out a few shaking breaths. 

Celina watched him and asked, “Better?”

“Yes… thank you.”

Celina pulled a roll of bandages from her inventory. “Okay, Steve, let’s get that wrapped…” Then, a thought struck her. She turned to look behind her to see Herobrine still standing by, leaning on one of the support columns of the room. He was just standing there, looking down at his nails with an unamused expression on his face.

A redstone torch went off in her head. Celina called out, “Herobrine?”

The Lord of the Mobs looked up. “What do you want, human?”

Ignoring him not using her name again, Celina answered him with, “Well, I told you that you’re not just going to stand there and do nothing the whole time you’re here.” She made a motion with one finger. “Come here.”

Herobrine stayed still for a few moments, before rolling his white eyes. “Fine.” He made his way over to the queen and stood before her. “What do you want me to do, girl?”

Celina looked up at him with slightly furrowed brows as she took one of his hands. To her surprise, all Herobrine did was raise a brow instead of getting aggressive at her touch. She carefully placed the roll of cyan bandages in her other hand into his palm.

Herobrine tilted his head. “You… want me to hold the bandages?”

“No,” she replied. She gestured to the miner. “You said you would help me, so I want you to wrap that wound on Steve’s arm.”

Herobrine made a small grunt of disgust. “I don’t think so, girl. I’m not some nurse you can just order around.”

Celina sighed and crossed her arms. “Herobrine, you can’t just sit there and do nothing when you made a deal to help me in caring for Steve. Besides, I don’t want you to feel like you’re useless or here for nothing.” She carefully moved out of his way.

The Nether Prince looked down. Why she showed any concern for his feelings was beyond him, but he shouldn’t question it. The sooner he got this done, the sooner the miner would heal and the sooner he could leave. Looking down at the bandages for a second, Herobrine turned his attention to the man who now looked up at him with fear. He made his way to the side of the bed and to Steve’s side. 

Steve was terrified, Herobrine was literally standing right next to him with discontent on his features. He was very afraid the man may pull some trick and just kill him on the spot, but he was too afraid to even move.

Herobrine sighed at the fear on the man’s face. He hadn’t even done anything to him and yet he was cowering in terror. He shook his head. “Steven, hold out your arm,” he grumbled. 

Steve didn’t move. He was so scared.

“Steven.”

Steve gulped and slowly moved his arm out to the being. Herobrine reached a hand out to hold his wrist and the miner swiped his hand away, pulling it back towards his chest.

Herobrine let out a small growl. “Steven, cooperate.”

Steve whimpered. “Sorry,” he apologized before holding out his arm again. Herobrine took a hold of his wrist and Steve tried to pull it away. However, the Demi-God’s grip wasn’t tight, but strong and he couldn’t remove it. 

Herobrine growled again at seeing the miner trying to pull away again. “Steven, hold still so I can wrap your wound.”

Steve didn’t stop and by now he was straining to get out of Herobrine’s grip.

“Steven,” Herobrine said in a dangerous tone of voice. “Hold--still.”

Steve was still pulling and at this point he let out another whimper.

“I said--HOLD STILL, DAMN IT!” Herobrine suddenly tightened his grip on the human’s wrist, nearly crushing in the bones in his hand. 

“AHHHHHHH!” Steve screamed out as he tried to pull away again. “LET GO, LET GO, LET GO!”

“THEN HOLD STILL!” Herobrine shouted back.

“Herobrine, stop!” Celina suddenly grabbed a hold of one of the being’s shoulders. “You need to let Steve go, you’re going to hurt him more!”

“Well maybe he wouldn’t be hurting if he just HELD STILL!” The Demi-God snorted in rage, trying to draw in enough breath to alleviate the heat now building in his veins. 

“Herobrine, you have to understand: Steve is still very afraid of you,” the queen responded in a calm voice. “You nearly beat him to death and he still has a fear of you considering all you’ve done to him. He’s scared. You need to know that and understand it.”

Steve suddenly cried out, “Herobrine, please, I--I’m sorry! Please, let go, it feels like you’re going to snap my wrist in half! Please?!”

The miner was looking up at Herobrine with tears forming in his eyes, teeth clenched as he tried not to scream anymore. He was shaking badly. Something about that look… about those innocent eyes combined with the queen’s words had him letting the man’s wrist go. He only watched as the human cradled his pained arm and whimpered.

Something about his cries… was familiar.

Herobrine shook his head again. Celina, looking up at him spoke. “Alright, let’s try this again, okay?” The being only nodded. “Steve,” she said, turning to the miner. “He won’t hurt you again. I’ll make sure of it. Can you hold out your wrist again, Sweetie?”

Steve was very hesitant, but with Celina’s words in the air, he felt just a tiny bit safer. He slowly moved his hand out with fear on his face. However, Herobrine took a very gentle hold on his wrist, being mindful of his wounds as he placed the end of the wool on his arm. He watched with surprise as Herobrine wrapped his arm and then snapped off the rest of the bandages when he was done. Though a look of slight unamusement was on his face the whole time, Herobrine didn’t get angry or tighten his grip. 

When it was done, he handed the bandages back to the human.“There, I did what you asked me to, human,” he muttered at the queen.

Celina let a small smile cross her face. “Thank you, Herobrine. That wasn’t so hard, now was it?”

Herobrine took a step forward, before stepping back. “Don’t think this means anything, girl. I’m only here to repay the deal we made.” He then turned his back to the humans and walked a few feet away.

Celina sighed and shook her head. “I swear… his ego is so big, I could probably see it from five biomes away.” She turned to look at Steve. “Steve, sweetie, do you…” She noticed Steve was now staring at the Demi-God, brows raised in surprise. “Steve, are you okay?”

“He… you actually got him to wrap my wound.” Steve looked down at his wrist. Though it was still a little sore from the grip he had earlier, there was no sign of any other kind of damage. He looked up at Celina. “How in the Overworld did you get him to… to not hurt me?”

Celina blinked, before looking over at Herobrine. “I’m not entirely sure, Steve. He made a promise not to hurt you, so I expect him to uphold that promise. He lost and made a deal… so I guess he realized his mistake. I’m not so sure.” She looked down at the miner. “Between you and me… he seems to be conflicted about something. What that something is, I’m not sure of. But whatever it is, he seems to keep thinking about it.” She shook her head. “He’s… confusing, but who knows what’s going on inside his head?”

Celina looked down at Steve. “Well, we might as well get the rest of your bandages changed. Are you okay with him helping me again, Steve?”

The miner nodded. “...Yeah, that’s fine.”

Celina nodded. “Alright then. Brine, please come help.”

Herobrine froze up for a moment at that nickname, before shaking his head and facing the human. “Fine, human. And don’t call me, ‘Brine.’”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooo, seems like Herobrine has some conflicting thoughts... wonder what that could mean?  
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! :D


	22. Speak to Me, As I to You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Man, I'm on a roll with these chapters, two in one day! :D   
> I always have such fun writing Brine and Celina's reactions from before they were friends, it's fun to see how Celina being kind collides with Brine's distaste for humans.  
> Anyways, enough of my rambling, here's the next chapter! :D

“There you go, Steve,” Celina said as Herobrine finished wrapping the large wound on Steve’s chest and back. She smiled softly and took the wrappings from the Demi-God when he was done. “That should be all of them!” 

Steve smiled as he looked down at the cyan bandages. He looked up at the queen at the Demi-God. “Thank you, guys. Your wrapping work is really nice, Herobrine. Thank you.”

The being seemed to tense as the miner thanked him, but he said nothing. He simply took a few steps back.

Celina looked down at her friend. “Well, Steve, I need to do something. How about you get a little more rest so you can give your wounds some time to heal? I’ll let Irona know I’m heading out so she can watch you, okay?”

Steve nodded. “Okay! Thank you, Celina, I appreciate it.” He chuckled as the queen placed a kiss on his forehead.

“Okay, Steve, I’ll be back soon.” She saw him smile, before the miner moved to lay down. He was out within a few minutes. Celina looked at him with a peaceful smile, before turning to look at Herobrine. He was standing and watching the miner, seeming lost in thought. Celina carefully spoke to him. “Herobrine?”

The man turned to look at her. “What?”

“Can you follow me for a bit?”

Herobrine frowned. “What do you need me for?”

“I want to show you something. Something in my garden. I want you to follow me, okay?”

The being seemed to not want to do as she asked, but he tilted his head down in a soft nod. Celina then made her way to the front doors of the castle with Herobrine following close in step. She opened the door and found Irona standing against the wall, seeming to be deep in thought. “Irona?”

The golem looked down at her queen. After having awoken for a bit, Irona had gone to the knight house to see how the guards that had been attacked last night were doing, and now she didn’t know what to do. She was still very conflicted over Herobrine’s presence in the castle, but she knew Celina could handle this herself.

“I’m gonna take Herobrine to the garden. Can you watch over here and make sure to watch Steve? Please?”

Irona pursed her lips for a moment. She didn’t want her queen to be alone with Herobrine of all people, but maybe she had a plan. She nodded.

“Thank you. Herobrine, follow me.”

Herobrine did so, following the queen down the same path they had gone down to get the wheat for the miner’s meal earlier. He couldn’t help but glance at the rose bushes again as they walked, seeing the brightly colored petals shining in the sunlight. He was surprised, no one saw him as he walked with the queen. But then again, they were probably all out doing whatever humans did during the day.

Celina led Herobrine to a secluded area of trees and flowers, hiding the clearing within with plants. She carefully walked to its center and stood before Herobrine, turning to look at him with only a block between them. 

Herobrine folded his arms again. “So… why did you lead me out here, gi--Celina,” he asked, correcting himself on her name.

Celina kept that note in her mind. Perhaps that was some kind of sign of progress? She smiled and kneeled. She gestured for him to do the same, and he did. “Well, I want to teach you a lesson. Something important.” She pulled an iron shovel from her inventory and handed it to him. “Can you dig up this block in front of us?”

Herobrine looked at her with confusion as he held the shovel. But he did so anyways, taking the dirt block that popped up into his hand. He then handed the shovel to her.

“Good. Now, hold out your other hand to me and close your eyes.”

Herobrine didn’t move at first, but did as she asked. Celina pulled a small seed from her inventory and placed it in his hand, closing his hand around it.

Herobrine opened his hand and pulled his hand back to see what was in it. “...A seed?”

“Yes. I want you to put it in that dirt block, then place it back in the hole you made.”

Herobrine huffed. He still wasn’t sure what the point of this was, but the sooner he did it, the sooner they could go back inside. He carefully put the seed into the small block, before throwing it into the hole and seeing the block pop back to its normal size.

“Good.” Celina pulled a water bucket from her inventory, holding it out the Herobrine. He flinched for a second, almost backing away. She blinked in surprise.

Herobrine caught her look, his expression falling back to one of slight anger as he snatched the bucket from her. “What do you want me to do with this?”

“Water the seed, please.”

Herobrine frowned. “That’s it?”

“Yes.”

Herobrine didn’t know why, but he did, tilting the bucket to let some water flow onto the ground. When he was done, he handed the bucket back to her.

Celina put the bucket into her inventory and pulled out a small poppy, placing it on the ground. “Herobrine, flowers are delicate things. They can grow and thrive if you treat them well, or wither away into nothing if you don’t show them the care they need. If you show them the treatment they need, they’ll share their beauty and true self when they bloom and show off their petals from inside the closed bud. However, if you don’t take care of them, they will crumble and shrivel.” 

Celina carefully ran a hand along the petals of the poppy. “People are much the same way. If you treat them with respect and show kindness to them, they’ll open up like a flower to you. They’ll confide in you and show you the same kindness. However, just like a flower…” She carefully plucked a petal off of the poppy. “If you don't take care of people, they’ll wither and die. They won’t be able to thrive and grow, and they just may not make it out. So if you show that flower a little kindness, a little care, a little love… they may just call you a friend.”

Celina stood from her place, as did Herobrine, and she looked up at him. “I want you to come here everyday, water this flower, make sure it’s getting enough light, and take care of it. Okay?”

Herobrine nodded, so she nodded back. “C’mon, let’s head back inside.” Celina then made her way back towards the entrance to the castle.

The Nether Prince watched her for a moment, before frowning and tilting his head.  _ “Why is this human being so kind to me? All I’ve done is try to kill her or hurt her, and yet she still shows me a hand of mercy and a kind heart. What have I done that she’s going to keep trying to be nice to me?” _ He sighed and put a hand to his now aching temples. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand this human,” he murmured. “I don’t know if I even want to…”

*****

Herobrine stayed thinking for a few more moments before following the way Celina had led him back inside to the castle. He stopped after closing the door to see Celina standing at a crafting table, seeming to be working on making some food. 

Celina turned her head when she heard the door shut. “Oh, there you are. I was just about to start making lunch. Do you want something to eat?”

“I don’t need to eat, mor--Celina.” Herobrine huffed a bit when he corrected himself. “I don’t need to eat, nor am I hungry. I don’t need food to live like you humans do.”

Celina tilted her head and found herself with a little frown. “Well, you’re a guest in my castle, so it’s in my nature to make food for guests. You can at least try a little something, you look like you could use it.” She didn’t even see Herobrine give her an offended frown as she looked down with a chin on her hand. “Oh!” Celina snapped her fingers. “I have a little something I made yesterday. It’s been in my inventory, so it should still be good.”

Herobrine folded his arms and furrowed his brows when she reached into her pockets. “What are you…” His face suddenly fell when she pulled an orange and yellow pie from her inventory. 

“I made this yesterday! It’s still nice and warm too,” Celina spoke. “You seem like the kinda guy who would like this, so I saved it for you.”

Herobrine’s heart was racing, his mind in a fog and he found himself unable to move. He could practically see her standing there. Standing there as if she was here.

Celina could see Herobrine beginning to tremble and she frowned deeply. “Herobrine, are you oka--”

The being suddenly surged forward and slapped the pie from her hand, sending it to the floor. Celina looked down at the now ruined food. “What the--” She furrowed her brows in anger and held out her arms. “Dude, what is your damage?!”

“What are you playing at here, girl?!” Herobrine demanded.

“What in the End are you talking about?!” she shouted back. “All I did was offer you a freakin’ pie! And you slapped it out of my hand! What is up with you, dude?!”

Herobrine glared at the girl for a moment, clenched fists shaking. He looked for any kind of deceit within the human’s eyes, but all she did was glare at him with equal contempt. He then made a small, “Hmmph,” and folded his arms again, keeping his defensive stance.

Celina’s anger seemed to fall. The fact that Herobrine didn’t attack her on the spot was something, but it was how he just seemed to hold back his anger that concerned her. “...Are you okay,” she asked softly.

Herobrine turned his head away. “No… no, I’m not.”

“Well, if you need someone to talk to, I’m all ears.”

Herobrine’s head snapped to her with anger on his face. “What did you just say to me?”

“I said that… if you need someone to vent to, I am here to listen.”

Herobrine didn’t say a word. Celina watched him disappear, before he reappeared in front of her. Before she could say a word, he began to speak to her. “Tell me, Celina… what do you know about me?”

Celina found herself suddenly feeling very small with the slight rage that was clear on his face. He began to pace around her in a circle, and though she was suddenly scared, Celina knew it would be better to answer. “Well, all I know is legends and stories. I’ve heard that… you’re the ruler of the mobs of this world, prince and ruler of the Nether, and that… you’re probably one of the most powerful beings in the Overworld, if not the most powerful one. I’ve heard that catching your attention is a fate worse than looking into the eyes of an Enderman. I’ve heard that you show no mercy to humans whatsoever, and that… you hate them with everything in your being.”

Herobrine was surprised. Seems like this girl had studied up on her history. “You are fairly correct, Celina. And knowing all that…” He suddenly moved so he was inches away from her face. “Do you  _ really _ think I would confide in a mortal like you?”

Celina found herself trembling and unable to speak. She was terrified with those narrowed white eyes staring into her gray ones. She didn’t say a word.

“That’s what I thought,” The Nether Prince said, backing away from her.

“...Geez, you--you really… know how to make your point,” Celina stuttered out.

Herobrine scoffed. “Let this be a lesson to you, girl.” He then turned on his heels, facing away from the human.

Celina felt her mouth moving faster than her mind, because something struck her and made her wonder. “Hey, Herobrine… how old are you?”

The being visibly tensed under her words and turned his head to look over his shoulder. “Why do you want to know,” he asked quietly.

“Well, I’ve heard you’ve been around a long time. And there’s lots of stories about you. I suppose I’m just… curious.”

Herobrine narrowed his eyes, but turned back away. “If you must know… I’m 160,000 years old.”

Celina’s mouth went agape and her eyes went wide. That would explain a lot. “Wow… you’ve probably seen a lot here in Minecraftia then.”

“...Why does it matter to you what I’ve seen,” Herobrine spoke after a beat of silence. He began to visibly tremble once more. “Why does it matter to you what I know, or where I’ve been? I don’t have to tell you anything about what I’ve seen. You have no… no right to invade my privacy.”

She watched the Demi-God speak, and that was when she saw something. A small cyan colored droplet fell from his cheek and hit the rug he stood on, soaking into the fabric. It was only there for a moment, but she saw it. Celina felt a twinge of guilt in her chest. She didn’t mean to upset him in any way, she was just curious. But then again, they did say curiosity killed the ocelot.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” she told him, hearing him taking shaky breaths. “I was just… trying to help. But if you need someone to talk to, or need anything at all, please, let me know. I am here to talk if you need to.”

Herobrine closed his eyes and tilted his head down. “...I want to talk so much,” he whispered. “But you would never understand.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing,” Herobrine answered while turning to face the queen. “Just leave me be for a while.”

Celina furrowed her brows in worry, but nodded. Herobrine then turned away again, moving to sit on the floor with his knees close to his chest.

_ “There’s something bothering him,”  _ Celina thought.  _ “Something he’s not telling me. But… I shouldn’t force him to tell me. I might just upset him more if I do. And… I don’t want to hurt him. Maybe he just needs some time to think.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooo! Looks like Brine is hiding a little secret... but what could it be? :3c  
> Hope you all enjoyed that chapter!


	23. Why Are You So Kind?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! I have a new chapter! I had a lot of fun with this one! It was so much fun to write!  
> Enjoy!

The evening had come some time later. Steve had awoken for a bit to eat and have his bandages replaced, then fallen back asleep. Celina now sat in one of the nearby chairs, peeling the pink bandages on her own skin from her body and examining her wounds. They weren’t very deep, luckily, but there were a lot of them. Celina sighed as she peeled away another bandage. “Well, at least these aren’t too bad. Another few days or so with a potion and they should be good.” She looked down at the last of her wounds, still covered. “Alright, now I just need to get this off and--”

The queen tried to pull the wool off, only for a shooting pain to run up her arm. “OW! SON OF A GLITCH!” She recoiled and looked down at her arm. “That hurts way too much to try and get on my own.”

At the same time she said this, Herobrine’s closed eyes opened. He had actually been resting, though he wouldn’t dare admit that to anyone. Especially not to the human girl. However, a shout had awoken him. He blinked a few times, his white eyes still adjusting.

Celina thought for a moment about how to get the bandage off, when a small movement caught her eye. Herobrine seemed to be moving about as he stretched his legs out and rolled his neck. Was he sleeping? The queen was curious about that, but decided not to ask. She watched him for a few seconds. “Hey, Herobrine,” she cautiously called out.

The Demi-God frowned as the human queen’s voice reached his ears. What did she want this time? He turned his head and looked at her, seeing a pained look on her features. Herobrine stood and walked over to her. “What do you want, mor--Celina?”

Celina shifted in her seat, looking into those glowing eyes. “I was taking off my bandages, but this wound right here is really sensitive. I can’t get it off myself. Can you… get it off for me? Please?”

Herobrine thought this was a little silly. It was something she could obviously do herself, but she was asking for his help, and that was surprising. He rolled his white eyes and took a hold of the bandage.

Celina looked away. “Okay, give me a second to--”

Before she could say anything else, Herobrine ripped it off her arm. 

“OOOOOWW!” the queen shouted and whipped her head around to look at the Nether Prince. “Geez, you couldn’t have given me a heads-up first?!”

“I pulled off your bandage, didn’t I,” he answered her. 

She looked to see the pink cloth in his hand and she lost her angered expression. “Well, yeah, you did do that.”

“Then stop complaining!” Herobrine said with annoyance. He turned away, looking at the woolen wrapping in his hand. “For Aether’s sake, you usually don’t complain this much, Cebrina.”

“Well I--” That was when Celina noticed something. “Wait… who’s Cebrina?”

Herobrine’s angered expression immediately fell to horror. His blood seemed to run cold as he stood, frozen in that place. He let the pink wool fall from his hand as his heart began to beat wildly in his chest cavity.

There was complete silence between the two, and Celina felt a sudden powerful energy in the air.

“What did you just say?”

The being said this slowly, with venom in his voice, his expression beginning to shift to one of rage.

Celina didn’t seem to notice this though. “You just called me… Cebrina. I don’t know if you just mispronounced my name, or if you just--”

A hand was suddenly around her neck within a second, and Celina gasped for air as her oxygen was being cut off. She lightly kicked her legs as she was lifted a few inches above the ground. She clawed at the hand now around her throat, opening her eyes to see Herobrine with fury on his face. White smoke was now drifting from the brightly glowing orbs in his head. 

“DON’T YOU EVER SAY THAT NAME AGAIN, MORTAL!” he shouted at her, making her struggle more. “IF YOU EVER SAY THAT NAME AGAIN, I’LL RIP YOU APART! DO YOU HEAR ME?!”

Celina whimpered and tried to speak with a ragged voice. “Okay! I’m--I’m sorry! I--I didn’t know!”

Herobrine gave her one last glare, before dropping the queen, making her stumble back while coughing. He turned away and kept his back to her, his clenched fists shaking.

Celina coughed hard. Damn, he really held tight onto her. She put a hand to her throat. That might just bruise later.

“Celina! Are you okay?!”

The human girl turned on her heels in surprise, seeing that Steve was awake and looking up at her with great worry. “Steve?”

The miner frowned with his brows furrowed. He had been fast asleep when Celina’s loud coughing caused his sleep to fade, and all he had seen was Herobrine glaring at his friend with her hacking away for breath. He looked up at her. “Celina, what happened? Did he hurt you?”

“Steve, it’s okay, don’t get too worked up,” Celina responded with her hands up. She then turned her head away and put a hand to her throat. “He… grabbed me by the neck again.”

Steve gasped, before closing his eyes, furrowing his brows, and gritting his teeth. He let out a growl of frustration and shook his head. 

Celina pursed her lips. “Steve, what’s wrong?”

“He keeps hurting you, Celina!” Steve shouted in response. “He’s grabbed you by the neck, he nearly beat you to death, and he keeps threatening you! I can’t just sit here and let him hurt you! He’s going to kill you and it’ll be all my fault!” Steve’s eyes began to water and tears rolled down his face when he blinked. “You tried to defend me and--and all he’s done here is… tried to--to kill you! If I hadn’t gotten...gotten beat to near death… I--I wouldn’t… you… I just…” He tried to stand from his place and cried out, falling back to sit on the bed with his legs hanging off the side. Steve was now hiccuping and crying hard, his eyes shut as his body shook. 

Celina found herself putting hands on his shoulders as Steve tried to stop crying. He wasn’t just physically hurting, and she could tell. She leaned down and gently embraced the miner. He stiffened at first, not expecting her hug, but slowly relaxed into her touch.

Celina began to speak to him and she pulled back, resting her hands on his shoulders again. “Steve, I want you to listen to me, okay?”

Steve sniffled a bit, but nodded.

“Listen, Stevie. I know I got hurt defending you from him. But in no way is this your fault. It was my choice to fight him, my choice to defend you. I did it because I care about you. I did it because I wasn’t going to let him hurt you or try to take your soul. I love you, man.” She smiled softly. “Besides, Herobrine was the one who tried to kill you. He pretty much put himself in this situation. He made his own bed, now he has to lie in it. He did this to you, so he has to pay for what he did.”

She chuckled softly. “All the things he’s doing; it’s just something I’ll have to deal with to get him to help you. He’s obviously got something going on, but I’m not gonna push him to tell me. I know you might feel like you caused this. But trust me when I say: it’s not your fault at all.” Celina gently patted Steve’s shoulders. “I’ll be fine, Steve. I made a choice, and so did he, and me and him have to understand the consequences of our actions. I don’t think he quite gets it yet, but… I’m going to try to have him understand. Just remember, I’ll be fine. I won’t just let him push me around.”

Steve nodded after a moment, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He tried to smile and managed to do so as the queen kissed his forehead again. “Thank you, Celina. That definitely puts me a little more at ease.” 

Celina giggled. “I’m glad. Now that that’s out of the way… oh! Do you want me to help you with your hair? It’s pretty messy.”

Steve blinked, before closing his eyes and dawning a sly grin. “Well, my queen, do you think you’re worthy enough to handle the pristine locks of Steven Alfonce Mindrall?”

Celina smiles cheekily. “Oh, I’m sure I’m more than fit to handle them.

“Hmm. I don’t know…” Steve said as he looked up at her.

“Oh, c’mere and let me do your hair, you dork!” Celina responded, ruffling his hair. The two of them laughed, with Herobrine only watching from his place. They didn’t even see him turn away as a few cyan droplets fell down his face, before he wiped them away.

*****

As the sun began to set and the evening took the skies, the kingdom was quiet with people retreating to their homes for the night. The mobs would be out soon, but with all the light in the village outside the castle walls, everything should be at peace. 

Steve handed the dish he had used for dinner back to Celina. “Thank you for dinner, Celina, it was really good.”

“It’s no trouble, Stevie.” She took the plate and stowed it in her inventory. She then looked to the miner as he shifted in his spot. “It’s starting to get kinda late. Are you okay with going to sleep now, Steve?”

“Yeah, I’m fine with that. I need all the rest I can get for these wounds anyways.” He chuckled and let his friend take his hand and kiss it. He then laid down and Celina helped pull the blankets up to his chin.

“Sleep well, Steve,” Celina told him.

“Thank you, Celina.” And with that, Steve closed his eyes. He was out within a few minutes. Celina smiled at him, but then turned on her heels to look at Herobrine. He was sitting at the dining table she had in the throne room, with a plate still in front of him. She walked a little closer to see that the Demi-God hadn’t even touched his food. “Herobrine,” she asked.

The Nether Prince lifted his head from looking at the steak and carrots that had been placed in front of him. “What?”

“Did you eat at all?”

He sighed heavily. “I already told you, Celina: I don’t need to eat. I’m not hungry either.”

“Herobrine, are you sure? I thought I heard your stomach growling earlier.”

He silently swore. So she did hear his stomach when she had started making dinner. However, he didn’t want the girl to think she was right about anything. He folded his arms. “I’m… not… hungry.”

Celina lightly shook her head. “Herobrine, I know you’re trying not to show any weakness. I know you’ve been doing that every time we talk. But, even though you don’t need to eat, I think you should at least try it. Besides, even if you don’t need to, it might feel nice. Can you at least try the steak I made you?”

Herobrine didn’t say a word at first. But then he sighed, took the knife and fork he had been given, and cut off a piece of the steak. He looked it over before putting it into his mouth. His expression shifted and his posture changed just a bit. 

Celina noticed this. “Is it okay?”

Herobrine turned to look at her, before looking away. “...Don’t think this means anything, Celina.” 

The queen chuckled a bit. Seems like his ego was still there. She looked at the sky outside, seeing small spots of white littering the veil of dark blue. “Hmm… it’s getting late, I should probably head to bed.” She turned to head to her bedroom, then turned her head to look back at Herobrine. “Hey, Herobrine?”

The being turned his head to look over at her.

“Thank you… for helping me. You did a pretty good job today.”

He tensed, but said nothing.

“Well, good night, Brine. Get some rest, okay?”

“...Whatever.”

“Okay, good night.”

And with that, Celina slipped out the door to make her way to her bedroom.

As soon as he was alone, Herobrine looked down at the steak again. It was actually really good. He really didn’t want to admit it to her though, but it was… nice. He sighed in frustration, holding his head in one hand as he leaned his elbow on the table. “Why is she being so friendly to me?” He rubbed his head, a small headache was beginning to form with his clashing thoughts. “All I’ve tried to do is kill her, from the moment I got here. And yet… she still made me food, showed me into her garden, and trusts me with the miner?” Herobrine shook his head again. “Why? Why would she show her enemy such kindness when I’ve made myself an adversary to her? I don’t… I don’t understand.”

The Lord of the Mobs leaned back a bit. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand this human. But… the sooner I comply with her, the sooner I can leave.” He then looked down at his meal… before taking the fork and knife into his hands again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooo, looks like Brine is keeping some secrets! And he's very conflicted about Celina...  
> I hope you guys enjoyed this! :D Feel free to comment!


	24. You're Too Kind to Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, guys, I have another new chapter for you! This one was A TON of fun to write, the dialogue in the one is one of my personal favorite sections. I hope you enjoy. We're getting pretty close to a certain being's past... :3c

Herobrine carefully snapped off the bandages from the roll he was using to wrap Steve’s arm. He then looked to Steve and huffed a bit. “There, that’s the last of your wounds that needed new wrappings.”

Steve nodded. “Thank you, Herobrine. You’ve been really helpful this past while. Speaking of which, do you know how long you’ve been here now? I’ve lost count.”

Herobrine tapped a finger to his chin. “...I believe it’s been a week and a half now.”

And that much was true. Herobrine had stayed here for some time now, almost two weeks, and he had pretty much done everything that the queen had asked of him. He had started each morning with tending to the miner, and simply following Celina around while she did various things in the castle. This included knitting, cooking, polishing her sword, and working to make some potions. Herobrine would follow her to watch her and see what it was that drove her and kept her going.

Snapping from his thoughts, the Demi-God realized the queen had left the room. He looked around, white eyes scanning for her, but she was gone. He squinted, then turned back to the miner. “Did the queen tell you where she was going when I went to get more wrappings for you?”

Steve thought for a second. “Um… I think she said she was going to her garden. She said she needed more vegetables for dinner tonight.”

Herobrine pursed his lips. He should probably follow her, he wanted to talk to her about something. He nodded to the miner, before turning on his heels and making his way towards the front doors.

*****

Celina pulled another carrot from her farm, making sure to replace it with a different one and put the dirt over it. She stood and wiped a bit of sweat from her forehead. “There we go, that should be enough for dinner. Now I just have to get a couple of pumpkins and we should be good.”

A small sound of teleporting came from behind her and Celina turned to see Herobrine behind her. He had his weight to one side, arms across his chest, like they usually were. 

Celina took a moment to look over him. There were some things she… hadn’t really noticed before. For one thing, his hair was very curly at the ends, and it fluffed out with the rest of it. He also has very visible muscles for being kinda skinny, and… did he have curvy hips? He did. That explained how he could shift his weight to one side like he did. Also, it seemed like there was something moving under his hair, by the sides of his head. Was that… his ears?

“What are you staring at?”

She didn’t even realize she was staring. Celina shook her head and put a hand to her chest. “My apologies, Herobrine. I didn’t mean to stare.” She smiled at him. “What are you doing out here?”

“I… I needed to talk to you about something. Can we… go check on the flower you had me plant earlier?”

Celina blinked in surprise. “...Sure!” She moved from in the water of her farm to the gate, closing it as she stepped out. She walked with the Nether Prince close in step, making their way past the rose bushes and to the small spot. A small sprout stood from the block where Herobrine had planted his seed, seeming healthy and growing.

“It looks like it’s growing well,” the queen told the Lord of the Mobs. “You’ve been doing a wonderful job taking care of it.”

Herobrine shrugged. “Do I really have a choice?”

Celina tilted her head. “I mean, you didn’t have to plant it or water it. You could have just left it, I wouldn’t have forced you to take care of it. But… I trust you.”

Herobrine blinked in surprise. “You… trust me?”

“I do,” she answered with a nod.

“But why? I nearly killed you in a battle for Steven’s life. I’ve only been resentful towards you and even hurt you by grabbing your neck. I’ve been… spiteful, and yet, you place trust in me?” He furrowed his brows. “Why do you trust me?”

Celina felt herself taken aback by his words. “You mean… you don’t know why?”

A shake of the head was given.

The queen sighed softly, taking her head from her crown. “Well… you may have nearly killed Steve and I, but after you made that deal with me, I was truly expecting that, if I did win, you wouldn’t keep your word. I know you don’t like humans. I know that from the legends. But… I know you’re not human. You’re Aetherian, aren’t you?”

Herobrine nodded slowly. “How do you know that? All humans I’ve met don’t even know where I came from.”

“Because I do my research.” She shifted on her feet. “I had never known where you came from until… I found a book near my kingdom. I was out on a walk and I found an old dungeon with a chest inside. It had a book that wasn’t enchanted in it, so I looked in it. It was… about you. Albeit, it was mostly about your terror, but… part of it described that you… fell from the sky, in a ball of fire, long ago.”

Herobrine’s eyes widened, but he said nothing, nodding to let her know to continue.

“If there’s one thing I know about Aetherian beings, from my research… they have the most honor of any being in the whole realm of Minecraftia. And… knowing that… I expected you to keep your word. I had a bit of doubt about you keeping your end of the bargain, but when I beat you and you agreed to keep your end of our deal, I knew the stories to be true. So… I decided to see if you really would keep it.” 

Celina looked up into his white eyes with those big gray ones, and as she spoke, something about her seemed so familiar. “Trust to me is knowing that someone will say something and follow through with it to the letter. Trust is something I give many people… and some break it. But you? You did what you said you would. So, I placed my trust in you.”

Herobrine didn’t have any words for what she said. He was surprised. This human had placed trust in him. In her near killer. In the person who nearly murdered someone she considered a brother. And yet? It baffled him. She was so sappy… but it was... 

Now he had to ask her something. “May I ask you a question, then?”

Celina smiled and nodded. “Ask away.”

“What drives you humans to… survive? I never really thought about that but… you’ve gotten me curious.”

The queen found a small dirt block sitting nearby, so she sat on it. “Well… to me, our survival is driven by the desire to build, to fish, to mine, to love, and to live. We are driven by the want to make something of ourselves and make a mark in this world. For me, it’s the same thing that drives me to protect my people and my friends. I want to make a difference in others’ lives. I want people to be able to thrive and grow, because good people deserve good things.” She looked at her palm as she opened her fingers. “I know some people in this world have malicious intentions, but if they are truly just trying to survive and make their mark, I want to make a difference in their lives. Who knows? I may even convince someone to rethink their motives.”

Herobrine had listened with great intent. She sounded kinda corny, but from what he could see, her motives were good, her heart true. She didn’t seem to have a devious bone in her body, and it truly showed.p

“You’re very… sappy… but, it’s very endearing.”

Celina was surprised by his words, but closed her eyes and smiled. “Why, thank you.” She opened her eyes and his expression took her by surprise.

He was smiling.

“Are you… are you smiling?”

Herobrine didn’t even realize that. He quickly furrowed his brows and frowned. He then turned away.

Celina lightly chuckled. He must have had a softer side, but it’s not like he would show that to her any time soon. She saw him turn to walk away. “Would you like to help me get some pumpkins? I need a few for dessert tonight.”

Herobrine shrugged. “I’d… actually like to return inside.”

“Okay, that’s fine. Just tell Steve I’ll be back in a few minutes, okay?”

“...Alright.”

*****

Steve looked up as the doors opened to the throne room, seeing Herobrine enter and close them behind him. “Hey, Herobrine. Did you talk with her?”

Herobrine blinked. “How did you know?”

He shrugged. “I figured as much.” He saw how frustrated the being looked. “Dude, are you okay? You look… furious.”

The Nether Prince didn’t realize his anger was visible on his face. He sighed heavily. “Do you really want to know?” When he got a soft nod, he tensed. “Fine. But do not tell a soul. Do you understand?”

Steve nodded and made a motion as if zipping his mouth closed. “Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.”

Herobrine nodded. “It’s… Celina.”

“What about her?”

“She… She’s too nice to me.”

Steve raised a brow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I nearly killed you almost two weeks ago. I nearly beat you to death, I almost took your soul. She considers you a brother and even protected you from me. And yet… she treats me so kindly. She makes me food, she lets me follow her around, she even trusts me not to hurt you.” He closed his eyes, holding up his hands with a growl. “I just--I don’t understand! No one should try to befriend their enemy! But she… she just--I don’t--” Herobrine huffed loudly, trying to take in a good breath of cool air. He was really starting to get angry. “I don’t understand!”

Steve listened to Herobrine as he aired out his frustrations and looked at him with a frown and knitted brows. He had never had a normal conversation with the being and to hear this was… strange. But it was interesting. However, his words had him smiling a bit.

Herobrine saw this and narrowed his eyes. “What are you smiling for?”

“Dude, you don’t have to be angry about that.” Steve saw Herobrine drop his arms to his sides. “It’s in her nature to be nice to people. Celina is the kind of person that… her kindness is really undeserved by this world. She may seem too nice for her own good, but it’s only because she knows a little act of kindness can go a long way. Hell, I’ve seen some very tough and hardened people be affected by her and change because of her.” He put a hand to his chest. “Celina is a sweet person, and she loves to help others. She’s got a heart of gold.” He chuckled. “Maybe if you did something nice for her in return, you’d see.”

Herobrine looked at the miner for a moment. “Um… what should I do?”

“Well, is there anything you like about her?”

Herobrine would have made a disgusted face, but his features stayed very calm. He actually thought about this. She was very sweet, and also… “Um… I think she’s… she’s… cute.”

Steve would have jumped back in shock if he could. Excuse him? “You think she’s cute? I mean, I don’t blame you, everyone calls her cute.” He wrung his hands together. “Maybe you should give her a little compliment. Tell her what you think.”

Herobrine thought again. “...Alright. I’ll tell her, then.”

*****

That night, after Steve had fallen asleep and the queen had finished her food, Herobrine saw with an empty plate in front of him, still pondering his predicament. He really wanted to see what would happen if he told the queen what he was thinking. But… he didn’t want to seem weak. He didn’t want to seem… human.

He didn’t want to be hurt again. 

But this queen… this little girl. She seemed like someone who would never hurt someone on purpose. And he had to keep that in mind.

“Herobrine?”

The being sat up as the human approached him, another plate in her hands. He could smell something on it, the scent was very heavy in the air. He raised a brow, before the plate was placed down in front of him. It was a plate full of cookies and a pumpkin pie. He looked at the queen. “What are these for?”

“For you, silly,” she answered. “You’ve been really nice lately, so I figured I’d give you a little something to show my appreciation.” She then gave him a cheeky wink.

Herobrine made a small sputtering noise, but said nothing.

“Well,” Celina spoke. “I should be getting to bed, it’s very late.” She looked into his white eyes. “I’ll see you in the morning, Herobrine.”

Just as she turned to walk away, a voice caught her attention.

“Celina?”

It was Herobrine. She turned back on her heels to see the being now standing, looking at her. He looked very conflicted about something. “Herobrine, is something wrong?”

“No… I just… need to tell you something.”

The queen stayed silent.

Herobrine turned his head away. He really felt he was going to sound weak saying this. Who knows? The girl might just mock him or laugh at him. He didn’t want to seem weak, it wouldn’t be dignifying of him if he did. But he might as well get it over with.

“I...I…” Herobrine’s voice caught a couple of times, until he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and turned his head towards her. A purple blush formed on his face as he said, “I… I think you’re… cute.”

Celina was surprised. She saw him keep his eyes closed, as if what he just said would deliver death to him. However, she knew from his tone that he meant it.

There was a small sound in his ears, before Herobrine felt the girl take his hand. He opened one eye to see her bowed with his hand in hers. His other eye opened as she spoke.

“Well, I think you’re very handsome.” She then placed a gentle kiss to his hand, before standing back up and turning around. “Good night, Herobrine,” she said in a kind voice.

Herobrine could only watch as she walked out the door, mouth agape. What… just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOOOOO! Looks like, for once, Herobrine is stumped! But what does this mean for Celina and Steve?


	25. Fury of a Broken Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, guys! Got another chapter done today! :D   
> So, let's skip ahead to about a month and a half since Steve was attacked.  
> I've got some surprises for you all in this one!

Herobrine watched as the rain fell onto the grasses outside the window, the sound of thunder crackling in the distance. He could see the glowstone lights outside glowing in the dark of the rainy night, showing through the droplets. He stayed in his place, leaning against a crafting table with his elbows on it. 

How long has it been since he had been here? Herobrine recounted the days in his head. It had been about… a month and two weeks. A month and a half now. He didn’t even realize that much time had passed already. He had been so busy with the human girl and miner that he didn’t think about how long he had been here.

Herobrine could say that his time here hadn’t actually been that bad. He found that he wasn’t as discontented as he thought he would be. It was remarkable, these two humans treated him with nothing but kindness, nothing but good things were told to him.

Why, he still didn’t know.

“Herobrine?”

The being was snapped from his thoughts as Celina called his name. She was wearing her pink cloak and had the hood pulled over her head. “Yes, Celina?”

“I’m going outside to get some wheat for tonight’s dinner. Can you watch Steve and make sure to get him anything if he wakes up?”

Herobrine took a few seconds to respond. “...Alright.”

She nodded in response. “Okay, I’ll be back in about ten minutes.” She moved to the doors, pushed them open, and closed them behind her.

Herobrine turned to look at Steve as soon as Celina’s footsteps were gone. He moved to where the miner lay, fast asleep on his side. He looked very peaceful, with less bandages than before. He didn’t have some of the ones that had been on his hands and left cheek, though some still covered wounds. He knew there were still bandages that wrapped around his chest and back from the deep sword wound.

Herobrine could feel something rising up in him as the miner slept. He felt like making some trouble now that he was alone and without Celina to say anything to him. He knew the less human part of him was coming forward now that it was just him and the miner.

“Look at you,” he said in a soft voice. “You look so peaceful.” He only stood there, watching over the miner. Part of him was saying he should do something. And honestly?

He didn’t fight it.

“Well… how about we have a little fun, Steven,” he whispered. He let his eyes glow brightly as he entered the man’s dreams, his frown turning into a devilish grin.

Steve’s peaceful expression fell, his eyes tightening as he gripped onto the pillows.

*****

Celina listened to another crack of thunder as she plucked some more wheat from the ground. She could see the rain beginning to come through the tree leaves above her. Hmm, seems like it’s going to rain for a while more,” she mused to herself. “I might have to call Irona back in, I don’t want her to get rusty.” She tied another string around the bundle she held, smiling as she stepped out of her garden.

“EEERRAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

Celina’s heart leapt into her throat. She knew who that was.

Steve.

And he was alone with Herobrine.

She heard another wail of fright and pain and she dropped the wheat to the ground. “STEVE!” she shouted as she took off.

*****

The doors to the throne room slammed open as Celina made her way inside. “Steve, what’s wrong?! What happened?! What--” She gasped as loud as she could, hands flying to her mouth.

Steve let out another shout as he sat up in his bed, his eyes shut tightly and hands over his temples. Herobrine stood by his side, his eyes glowing brightly and a dark grin plastered on his face. His eyes faded out in their intensity, before growing bright again. Steve shouted once more but never opened his eyes. It was like he was fighting something in his sleep, fighting something she couldn’t see.

Celina shouted, “Herobrine, what are you doing?!” She then ran to the being, grabbing his shoulders while he still stood facing the miner’s bed. “Herobrine, stop! You’re hurting Steve! Knock it off!” She pulled as hard as she could on his shoulders but he didn’t budge from his place. “HEROBRINE, STOOOOOP!”

It still wasn’t working and Steve was still screaming, crying out as tears ran from the creases of his tightly shut eyes. Celina’s mind went into a frenzy as she looked for some way to stop the being that was somehow hurting her friend. She thought and thought and something struck her. 

Celina quickly moved to the front of Herobrine, in between him and Steve’s bed. She quickly balled a hand up, reeled it back, and landed it right in the center of Herobrine’s chest.

A loud pained gasp filled the air, followed by a strong wail. “ _ EEEERRRRAAAAAAHHAAAAAHHHH!” _ Herobrine’s cry sounded almost like an Enderman in pain and he stumbled back with hands clutching his chest. He let out several pained breaths as the glow in his eyes died down, the orbs soon shining with only the faintest glow.

The being’s vision came into focus as he trembled from pain, feeling warmth coming to the surface of his skin as he held onto his chest. He had been in the middle of Steven’s dreams, watching him as he struggled and screamed to get away from the terrors he created. But it all came to a halt when something slammed into his chest and caused unbearable agony to surge through his chest. He seemed to feel this pain in his very core.

Herobrine looked up at Celina and let out a dark growl. He knew now what happened. 

Celina ignored the snarl he let out and shouted at him, “What were you doing?!”

Herobrine snorted in rage and shouted back, “Why did you punch me?!”

“Because you were hurting Steve! I saw your eyes shining while he was sitting here screaming! What in the name of the Overworld were you doing?!”

Herobrine’ dark frown changed to a devious grin. “I was just making sure he was having  _ sweet dreams _ .”

Celina raised a brow, before his words set in. “...You were giving him nightmares, weren’t you?”

Herobrine only let out a dark chuckle.

Celina ground her teeth so hard she was sure they would break. “You… You no good dragon scum.” She snarled out. “I turn my back for one second, and you have the nerve--”

“...Celina?”

Celina’s angered expression fell and she turned on her heels to see the miner, sitting up in his bed, horror and sorrow on his features. The queen clasped her hands. “Steve?”

Steve looked at her for several long moments, before his eyes moved to Herobrine. He… he trusted Herobrine. The being had kept his word this whole time not to hurt Steve, and now… he goes and gives him a horrible nightmare? Not only that, but he was hurting terribly from his movements in his sleep. He had no words for the despair he felt. So he wept. 

Celina watched the man break down on his place on the bed, throwing his hands over his face and sobbing--no, wailing--in sorrow and pain. He curled up into a tight ball and tears streamed from his eyes and down his face. He shook and coughed from his emotions taking hold, unable to stop himself.

Celina turned and sat down next to the miner, carefully taking on his hands in hers. He looked at her as she did, before practically falling onto her and embracing the girl. She held tightly to her friend, keeping him close as she gently rocked him back and forth.

Herobrine rolled his eyes. He turned away to walk away.

“Herobrine!”

The Nether Prince turned back around to see the queen with her head turned towards him.

“You stay right there!”

The being knew he didn’t have to listen to her, but he found himself doing as she said, staying in his place with his arms still over his chest.

*****

Steve blinked very slowly as he took shaking breaths. A droplet would fall down his cheek every so often, and he wouldn’t even bother to wipe them away. The collar and sleeve ends of his shirt were already soaked from his tears, and he couldn’t bring himself to care about that. He was just so tired and his heart felt overstressed and struggled to beat in his chest. He sniffled a bit, letting out a small hiccup.

Steve felt so… betrayed. He thought he could trust Herobrine, thought he would be safe alone with this man, and what happened? He lost his self-control and entered his dreams to mess with his head. Just like the nightmare in the forest only weeks ago, he had felt like he was really dying and this would be the end. He didn’t know why Herobrine would do this, but he truly felt… horrible. 

Celina could see how bad the miner felt as she sat on his bed next to him. She had put away her cloak long ago and now could only watch her friend. “Oh, Steve, you look so tired, dear,” she told him. “You should try to sleep. You need rest.”

Steve shook his head, a hand clutching his shirt. “I--I don’t… I don’t want to.”

“Why not,” she asked gently.

“I… I don’t… I don’t--want him to… to give--me--more… nightmares. I’m… I’m scared. I just…” Steve wanted to continue, but Herobrine was still standing right there, only blocks away from him.

Celina put a hand on his shoulder. “Steve, he’s not going to give you anymore bad dreams. I can promise you that. I’m going to talk with him, okay?”

There was silence. “...Okay,” Steve finally answered. 

Celina stood from her spot and helped the man lie down and pull the blankets up to his chin. She then kissed his forehead again. “Please rest, okay, Stevie?”

The man nodded. Steve was asleep within a few minutes, the emotional toll on his body lulling him to sleep.

Celina watched the miner to make sure he was still breathing, then she turned on her heels with anger on her features. Her gray eyes moved to Herobrine, who stood only blocks away while looking unamused. She quietly spoke, trying not to shout. “Herobrine?”

The Nether Prince hissed out, “What do you want?”

Celina shook her head. “I want an explanation, Herobrine! Why did you give Steve nightmares?! We had a deal! That deal included not hurting him mentally!”

Herobrine sighed. “And that included not giving him nightmares?”

“Yes! That too!” She couldn’t believe this guy! “You made a promise, you made a deal, and you just went against everything you agreed to! I had trust in you, Herobrine! I trusted you! And Steve did too!”

Herobrine found himself narrowing his eyes at her. “What are you talking about?”

“He confided in me. He talked to me about everything, and you know what he said? He said that he considered you… a friend.”

Herobrine snorted. “Why would he do that? I’ve only tried to hurt him his whole life, and I nearly beat him to death. Why would he consider his worst enemy his friend?”

Celina made an angry sputtering noise. “Because you were nice to him, Herobrine! You didn’t hurt him, you changed his bandages, you talked with him, you had actual  _ human conversations  _ with him! You gave him a reason to trust you, Herobrine. He actually told me that, when he was all healed and this deal was done, he thought that maybe he could be your friend still.”

Herobrine scoffed. “And just why should I care?”

“Because you lost my trust too!” Celina saw him take a step back, his brows almost raising in surprise. “I trusted you to keep your word, Herobrine. You had my trust!” She felt tears beginning to stream from her face, her chest ached now that she was saying these words. “I thought you and I could be friends! I thought that you would listen to me and confide in me. Don’t think I can’t see that something is going on in your head. I know you’re conflicted about something. And I wanted to help you!”

Celina kept her voice strong despite her tears. “But now, I see that I was wrong. You’re selfish, Herobrine. You’re an egotistical, homicidal white-eyed freak! You’re a no-good, low-down glitch! You’re… you’re…”

Herobrine felt rage boiling inside him. “I’m what?! SPIT IT OUT, GIRL!”

“ _ YOU’RE A MONSTER, AND NO ONE COULD EVER LOVE YOU!” _

As soon as those words left her mouth, Herobrine felt his eyes go wide.

He had heard those words before.

*****

_ “Demon! How dare you! She should have never loved you!” _

_ “How dare you, you monster! She should have never given you a chance!” _

_ “YOU’RE A MONSTER, AND NO ONE COULD EVER LOVE YOU!” _

*****

Herobrine’s heart dropped. His defensive stance fell and he suddenly felt like his strength was crumbling. His chest began to hurt, but not in a way that was physical. It was a deeper seeded feeling, like something inside of him had just been torn in half. Herobrine began to shake, his features shifting from sadness to something more like… sorrow?

Celina’s face turned to surprise. Herobrine was trembling and had a hand over his heart. His face was… filled with despair. He suddenly seemed to break down, because tears began to fall from his face. “...Herobrine?”

“I… I…” Herobrine suddenly shook his head and roared, “You may know my name, but you don’t know my story!” His hair seemed to move away, as pointed ears were now showing from the sides of his head. His face seemed to turn more and more to anger and sadness as he continued to shout. “You don’t know who I’ve lost! You don’t know what I’ve seen or who I knew! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT I’VE BEEN THROUGH!”

Celina held up her hands and looked at him with shock. He was now a hysterical mess, cyan colored tears running down his face. He was sobbing now and trying not to fall to the ground. Did she just… hurt his feelings and make him cry? She was literally seeing Herobrine, the Nether Prince, the Lord of the Mobs, and the brother of the former queen of the Gods… feeling the most human emotion there was. Sadness.

Celina didn’t know why, but seeing him break down…  _ it hurt _ . This was someone she had trusted, someone she considered an ally, even a friend. And now, she had just hurt him in a way she knew would do more damage than the punch she landed.

Celina had just broken Herobrine’s heart.

She suddenly said in a soft voice, “Herobrine… I’m… I’m sorry.” And that was when she tried to step forward with a hand outstretched.

Herobrine let out a betrayed howl as he tried to step back from her hand. “No! Stay away from me! Get away!”

Celina took another step, and that was when Herobrine wailed out, “JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Celina recoiled, watching the man as he took a step back and fell to the floor. He seemed to break down more, pushing himself up with shaking arms and watching her. All Celina could do… was watch Herobrine as he sobbed and cried.

What had she done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Brine! Looks like his heart is more than broken!  
> But what set him off so badly, I wonder? :0  
> Find out soon!


End file.
